Recoded Data
by Eternalangel15
Summary: Haru has returned home and now has two Appmon Buddies, but the fight against Leviathan is far from over. As tension rises and new enemies appear, old friends are chosen to join in the battle to protect humanity's future. While in the midst of it all, Haru begins to question his role in the plan Leviathan has intended for him. (Sequel to Lost Data)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I know I said I was going to post this chapter sometime this weekend, but I was so excited with completing Lost Data that I just jumped right on board onto completing this chapter. Besides, I rather write this than the papers I still have yet to complete for my classes. Anyhow, if you're new and wondering what's going on with the many things I mention in this chapter, please stop and take a look at Lost Data first. I'm too lazy to give a summary about what happened. You'll have your questions answered. Now if you've already read Lost Data, welcome back and thank you for deciding to give this sequel a chance. My updates will be spaced as always since I'm in college, but just know I'm excited to write this. If you have any ideas that you wish to see explored, don't be hesitant to pm me. I look forward to seeing any ideas anyone might have.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

 _Gatchi! Gatchi! Gatchi! Gatchi! Gatchi! Gatchi!_

Haru slowly opened his eyes as the sound of his alarm roused him up. He tiredly reached forward towards his alarm that laid right next to him and turned the annoying sound off as he closed his eyes, trying to catch the remaining glimpse of his dream. Realizing that he could no longer grasp it, he opened his eyes, immediately closing them again as the streaks of sunlight that penetrated his window was too blinding. Despite that, he allowed his body to soak in the warmth of the light as it touched him. He had missed waking up to its warmth.

"What kind of alarm is that! It's annoying!" A voice remarked above him in an annoyed tone.

"No, its not! It's the alarm I set for Haru!" A second voice said, offended by what the first voice called the alarm.

"Well change it! I don't want to wake up to that every morning from now on!"

Haru sighed as the two above him continued to argue back and forth on his loft about the alarm on his phone. Since arriving home, the two had gotten in constant arguments, bickering back and forth. Haru had initially thought that the two would eventually grow out of it and make conversations that wouldn't lead to arguments, but the more arguments they began to have, the less he began to think that would be possible. He was happy that his mother couldn't hear nor see the two. He was sure he would put a stop to their bickering in an instant. Though he wondered how he could even focus with the amount of bickering that was constantly persisting around him.

"Good morning Haru!" Haru heard above him.

He looked up and smiled as Gatchmon waved at him. Right next to Gatchmon, Onmon gave a silent nod at Haru, mumbling a barely audible good morning. Haru didn't mind in the slightest at Onmon's behavior. Unlike Gatchmon, he was shy. Something Haru had not fully realized until they had returned back from the Deep Web.

"Good morning." Haru said as he lightly rubbed his knuckles on his eyes. He stretched his arms and moved the blanket off of him, allowing his legs to dangle above the floor. As he stood up, he he felt his eyes trailed over to the Appli Drive and Appli Band that laid on his desk. He walked over to them and traced the Appli Drive with his fingers as he stared at its glowing words. It had only been a few days since after he had woken up in Cyber Kowloon and yet, it still felt like he was still there, trying to find his way around. It was nice to be finally home, but oddly uncomfortable, like he couldn't fit in. The only source of normalcy he had was his friends, but even so, it didn't help with the fears that he woke up to in cold sweat every night ever since he returned. There were many things that Haru couldn't forget during his time at the Deep Web. Although he had been able to reclaim the memories he had lost, it did not matter in the slightest. He was too shaken to think it could ever go back to normal.

"Haru?"

Haru blinked out of his thoughts and hastily moved his hand over to the blue Appli Band that laid by his device, picking it up and fastening it over his wrist. He remembered how it had turned from white to blue after he had exited the Deep Web with the others through its entrance. Haru wanted to take his Appli Band's sudden change as a sign that Minerva was still watching him. He was worried why she had never attempted to make contact with him during his time in the Deep Web, but never talked about it to anyone. Besides, he wanted to know why Minerva made contact with him in the first place. He wanted to know why him when there were other Appli Drivers Minerva could have contacted first.

Pushing that thought aside, Haru looked up to the two Appmon that were staring at him worriedly now from above his loft, and smiled, hoping that they wouldn't question him further. There were many things he didn't want to tell them. Not yet, at least.

"Hey, Haru? Aren't you going to meet someone today?" Onmon asked as he jumped off the loft and landed onto Haru's bed, followed by Gatchmon.

Haru nodded at the Appmon. "Yeah! Eri-san told me how worried Yuujin was when I was gone for so long without telling him anything. I texted him yesterday and he said it was okay to meet up."

"Who is this Yuujin anyway?" Onmon asked, turning towards Gatchmon.

"He's Haru's best friend." Gatchmon explained, watching as Haru walked over to the door and opened it, walking out as he headed towards the bathroom. "From what I've heard, he's been worried about Haru. I'm glad that Haru is at least going to meet him. He's been..."

"Distant?" Onmon said, looking away from Gatchmon towards the now opened door. "He's been acting act of character ever since we got here."

He paused and looked back at Gatchmon. "I mean I know you've known him longer and know much more how he usually acts, but this isn't how Haru usually is, right?"

Gatchmon nodded, surprised at Onmon's statement. He hadn't expected Onmon to be so observant of Haru already. It was odd seeing this considering he had only just met the Appmon not too long ago.

He opened his mouth to speak more, but closed it upon seeing Haru walking into the room. He would talk more later about Haru to Onmon, but for now, he would stay by Haru's side and continue to give him support. It was all he and Onmon could do for now for Haru.

* * *

"Wow! I didn't realize how big the real world is! Look how tall that building is!" Onmon exclaimed, pointing to a large building that stood not too far away. "I didn't know buildings could be that tall!"

"Aren't buildings that tall as well in Cyber Kowloon?" Gatchmon said, looking unimpressed with Onmon's enthusiasm.

"Yeah, but this is my first time seeing a real tall building here. It's different than what you see in the internet." Onmon explained, slightly glaring at Onmon for trying to ruin his fun.

Haru chuckled at the two that were floating near him. Last time he remembered, Gatchmon had just been enthusiastic as Onmon when he got to experience the real world for the first time.

"Haru!"

Haru turned away from Gatchmon and Onmon, his mouth forming into a wide smile upon seeing his best friend running towards him, his hand up waving at him. He watched as Yuujin stopped by his side and raised his hand ready to do their signature greeting. Haru stared at the Yuujin's hand for a second and slowly raised his hand, exchanging the greeting with him that they both knew by heart now.

"Sorry, I'm late Haru. Hope you weren't waiting too long for me."

Haru shook his head as his partners near him smiled at Haru's uplifted behavior. "No, it's fine. I just got here actually before you came."

Yuujin smiled, his eyes glistening from the sunlight as he found himself lost in Haru's bright smile. It had been so long since he had seen Haru and he had wondered if he had been doing okay. He had questioned Eri and Astra when he could not get Haru by the phone and found out that Haru had been away helping them with things. He knew it was a lie though. Haru wouldn't stop talking to him for such a long time, which was why he pushed to find out what had happened to Haru on his own, no longer asking for others for help. Just as he was about to take drastic measures, he finally received a response from Haru. He didn't question him further though. All that mattered to Yuujin was finally being able to spend time with Haru and show that he was there for him. He knew Haru would tell him what really happened to him when he was ready to.

"So where do you want to go today?" Yuujin decided to ask, as he and Haru began to walk forward in the crowd of people that surrounded them.

"Anywhere is fine." Haru answered, slightly not paying attention to Yuujin. He found most of his attention was towards a group of people that was near him talking about a visit to the doctor. He felt himself grow cold at the mention of shots, not realizing that he had stopped walking and now had his hands grasping at his arms, at the scars he knew that were there under his sweater.

"Haru?"

Haru blinked, shocked out of his panic attack and looked back towards Yuujin, trying desperately to hide what had just happened with a tight smile. He tried to ignore the calls behind him from Gatchmon and Onmon, as they tried to ask him if he was okay. Knowing them, it wouldn't be difficult for them to understand what had shaken him enough to make him freeze.

"Sorry. I…"

Yuujin shook his head, knowing full well what had just happened to Haru was a panic attack. Whatever had happened to him in the short amount of time he had lost contact with him had been enough to give him panic attacks. He had no idea what had caused it nor any idea how serious it was, but he understood that it was deeply hurting Haru. And judging by the dark spots underneath Haru's eyes, Haru hadn't been getting much sleep either. He was worried for his friend and wondered if there was anything he could to help him. Haru had changed in such a short amount of time and Yuujin wanted to know why.

But still, he decided he wouldn't press his friend to talk to him about that.

Instead, Yuujin walked forward to Haru and grinned, taking Haru's hand into his and began to guide him out of the crowd.

"Let's go to the arcade then." Yuujin suggested. "Or we can go see a movie if that's okay with you?"

"That sounds nice…" Haru replied slowly, smiling slightly at the idea.

He opened his mouth to ask more about Yuujin;s idea, but a loud beep from his Appli Band made him pause. Frowning, he asked Yuujin to let him have a moment to take the call and walked away towards the fence that overlooked the path below it with his Appmon not too far behind him.

"Hello?" He spoke at the band, listening as Eri's voice came through from the other line.

" _Haru, are you free right now_?"

"I…" Haru looked back at Yuujin and frowned, looking back at the band on his wrist. He couldn't say no to Eri.

"Yes, I am. What's wrong?" He asked.

" _I started an Appter account today and it has been posting with false information I never even wrote! I think it might be the work of an Appmon._ "

"That could be a possibility." Gatchmon remarked, turning towards Haru, wondering what his buddy was going to do.

" _Anyway, please help me out. I know you've just got back, but you're the only one who can help me. Can we meet up now if that's possible_?"

Haru widened his eyes at her request, but nodded, knowing he couldn't say no. He had to help her. Especially when it could be a problem concerning Appmon. It was his job as a fellow Appli Driver to stop Appmon that were causing mischief in the real world. Even if that meant sacrificing the time he wanted to use to spend with his best friend.

"O-okay…" Haru answered. "I'll be there."

" _Thank you, Haru. I'll text you my location_." Haru heard Eri say, as she ended the call. After she did, Haru turned his Appli Band off as he felt his facial muscles formed into a sullen frown. He moved to turn around and make his way back to Yuujin, but froze when he heard his best friend's voice right behind him.

"You have somewhere to be, right?"

Haru turned around in surprise as he stared hesitantly at Yuujin, wondering what he would think. He didn't want Yuujin to think that he didn't care about him. But he couldn't ignore his duty as an Appli Driver. It was disheartening to choose especially when Yuujin was his best friend. Haru had really wanted to spend time with him.

"Yuujin…" He said, watching as his best friend gave him an understanding smile.

"Don't worry about it. Let's hang out when there's a better time."

Haru nodded at Yuujin's reassurance, but he didn't want to believe that Yuujin was okay with this. How could he when Haru had asked for them to meet up only for them to separate before they could even attempt to do something together.

"I'm really sorry, Yuujin." Haru decided to say quietly, guilt clearly shown in his down casted gaze.

Yuujin simply shook his heard. "I understand, Haru. Now go on."

Haru felt a sudden warmth erupt from inside his chest that quickly spread throughout his body. Pushing aside of how much that warmth made him want to stay with Yuujin, he moved towards the flight of stairs that was right next to them and began to make his way down. As his foot made contact with the middle of the flight of the stairs, Yuujin's voice from behind stopped him in his movement.

"Hey, Haru!"

Haru blinked and turned around, staring silently at Yuujin as he gazed down at him with a worried expression.

"I know this is coming from nowhere, but… Are you sure you're okay?"

Haru said nothing as his eyes widened at what Yuujin had just asked. He knew he couldn't hide anything from Yuujin, but he had hope that he could at least try. He should have known that it was useless. Yuujin was his best friend and should easily seen what he had tried to mask earlier.

"I didn't want to press you earlier about what has happened to you, but you've changed since the last time I saw you. Before you were gone, it always felt like you were thinking really hard about something. But now, it also feels like you are also afraid. As if you've been hurt from whatever you're dealing with."

Haru stared at Yuujin's bright green eyes, speechless as he slowly processed what Yuujin was telling him. Even though he hadn't tell anything to Yuujin about Appmon and his role of an Appli Driver, Yuujin knew that he was dealing with something serious. And now that he had seen how it had affected Haru, he was finally telling him what he thought. Even though Haru wouldn't be able to tell him anything, Haru felt his heart thump rapidly from inside his chest. Yuujin was worried him and it clear now how worried he was and how much he had thought about whatever Haru was dealing with.

"But Haru, don't forget." Yuujin continued, closing his eyes and reopening them as his mouth formed into a warm smile. "I'm here for you. I'll listen to anything that you have to say. As I promised years ago, I am and always will be on your side."

"Yuujin…"

Haru felt his mouth curved into a smile as his chest began to flutter with emotions that seemed to chase all the deep-rooted fears away. He closed his eyes as he curved his hand into a fist and placed it over his heart, allowing his head to lean slightly forward before opening his eyes and gazing back at Yuujin once more. He was happy what Yuujin said, but he still couldn't tell him what happened. Not him.

"Thank you, but I'm okay." Haru decided to say, watching as Yuujin continued to smile at him. He really hated lying to him.

"I see…" Yuujin said. His smile grew wider and he nodded at Haru, fully trusting that Haru will tell him in time. "Okay then. Let's talk more later, okay?"

"Yeah!" Haru replied, nodding in agreement. He turned around and ran down the rest of the flight of stairs, moving forward down the path that led from it. Before he took off, he stopped to look back and wave at Yuujin one last time, calling out to him to thank him once more. He didn't see the look Yuujin gave at him when he turned and ran, not catching the worry that was present in Yuujin's expression.

Haru continued to run down the path towards the location Eri had sent him, not listening as his Appmon called out to him. He felt a sharp pain erupt from his chest as it quickly spread throughout the rest of his body, eating away at him and pestering him. He could feel the guilt flowing through his veins and deadening his mind, settling in and weighing him down, refusing to shift. No matter how bright it was, it couldn't change how empty Haru felt for lying to Yuujin how he really felt.

"Haru."

Haru stopped running and stood still, allowing the wind to gently caress his face as it whipped his hair wildly around his eyes. He heard the cherry blossom trees sway back and forth by him as the cherry blossom petals began to dance lightly in the air around them. He stared at them longingly as he opened his mouth to speak.

"I've never lied to Yuujin before…" He said quietly as he saw Gatchmon and Onmon move closer to his side.

"We've always told each other things, never keeping secrets from each other."

He paused and looked over to the cherry blossom trees, gazing at their beauty as his chest began to tighten with pain. No longer being able to continue looking at them, he casted his gaze onto the ground as his eyes darkened.

"If I'm being honest with myself, I want to tell him everything and be with him…" He murmured.

"Then go back to him and tell him. What's stopping you from doing that? He's your best friend, right?" Onmon asked, hating how sad Haru looked. He didn't like the way Haru's eyes darkened with pain and wanted nothing more than to make Haru happy. It was confusing how he felt this way when days ago, he would have not cared about anything to do with humans and their emotions. Haru had certainly given him a brand new insight on humans and now, he didn't want to think about allowing Haru to experience emotions that made him look sad and in pain. It wasn't right.

"Haru wants to protect him." Gatchmon spoke up, as he stared attentively as it his partner, not allowing his sight to move elsewhere. He was worried seeing how hurt Haru was. It wasn't like him to become so sad so quickly.

"By knowing about us, it will put him at a greater risk for danger." Gatchmon explained to Onmon.

"Screw that!" Onmon retorted, turning away from Haru at Gatchmon with annoyance. "Haru has been in the middle of all this danger! If Coordemon had been going through hard times, I would want to know so that I can be there for her! It's only right that Haru's best friend can do that as well!"

"But Coordemon is capable of protecting herself! It's not the same for Yuujin!" Gatchmon argued, yet fully understanding what Onmon was getting across. But even so, humans and Appmon were different. And in this fight against Leviathan, innocent humans like Yuujin could severely get hurt just by knowing. He knew that rather than letting that happen to Yuujin, Haru would rather lie to him. But even so, it couldn't change the fact that it was breaking his buddy's heart by doing so.

"I guess… I can't really tell him." Haru murmured as he looked up towards the bright blue sky silently watching the large fluffy white clouds that moved slowly past him. He continued to look at them in deep thought as both of his Appmon looked on to him with concern until a familiar female voice calling out his name snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Haru!"

Haru turned away from the sky towards the direction the voice came from, seeing Eri wave at him to come towards her. He ignored the looks Gatchmon and Onmon gave him as he moved forward. For now, he would shove the guilt and regret that were crushing his chest. Right now, he had to focus on being an Appli Driver and helping Eri. That was all he could do.

But even so, it couldn't change of how much that role weighed heavily in his mind.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** **I apologize for the long wait. I actually had this chapter finished back in March a couple of days after I had posted the first chapter, but I didn't like what I had written and ended up writing the whole chapter again. I should have had this posted sooner, but I've been busy with exams and papers as well as meetings with my advisor to change my major that it's been kind of hard for me to find the time to write. I'm kind of sad that I won't be able to post another chapter on the anniversary when I first posted Lost Data, but I have to focus on finals during that week. I won't be posting another chapter until sometime in the middle of May. Again, I apologize for the long wait, but college comes first for me. I'm shifting into maximum overdrive and trying to pass these last few tests before I can finally rest. Oh and before I forget, I know it looks like I'm now just copying from the anime, but this fic is going to diverge from it. I just didn't feel like changing how Yuujin got his Appli Drive.**

 **Oragonking: I remember, so no worries.**

 **trashyistrash: Yep, poor Haru. More feels will be on the way for these next few chapters. And aww, no problem! As always, thank you for reading!**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

Haru tried to listen the moment Eri began explaining what happened to her, but he quickly realized his heart wasn't into it.

His lack of focus didn't go unnoticed by Eri and Astra, who had arrived a few moments after Haru. They both stared at him with concern throughout Eri's explanation, noticing how downcasted his gaze was. His eyes, which were always bright blue, was now a tad bit darker with dark spots underneath them. It was obvious that Haru was not in the best condition to go find an Appmon. Even though Haru had insisted he was fine, his appearance said otherwise.

"Hey Haru, are you sure you want to do this?" Astra decided to ask after Eri had finally stopped explaining what was happening to her Appter account. "You were with Yuujin earlier right? Eri and I can handle this."

Haru blinked, looking away from Gatchmon and Onmon, who were both talking to Musimon and Dokamon, and looked up at Astra and Eri with a slightly dazed gaze.

"I'm sorry, Astra-kun, what did you say?"

Eri sighed and marched forward to Haru, allowing her eyes to narrow at Haru as if he was a child in need of scolding. She crossed her arms as her gaze remained transfixed on Haru, frowning when he simply blinked at her in confusion.

"Eri-san?" He asked slowly, wondering why she had suddenly walked forward to him.

"Haru, how much sleep did you get last night?"

Haru flinched at her question but did not reply. Deciding that his silence was all she needed to know, Eri took a step back and looked over to Gatchmon and Onmon, shooting a glare at them. Both of them gulped nervously at her sharp gaze, knowing that whatever was going to come next was probably not going to be good for the both of them.

"Gatchmon, Onmon, have you two not been taking care of Haru?" She questioned with clear disapproval in her voice that was enough to send shivers in both Gatchmon and Onmon backs.

"Eri-san," Haru interrupted before Eri could say more. "They have, so please don't get mad at them. I've…"

He paused and looked away, not knowing if he should say what been keeping him awake at night in fear. It wasn't that he didn't trust his friends to confide in them what he was experiencing, but he didn't want them to worry about them. They had already enough things to worry about with Leviathan He didn't want to add himself to their list of worries. Not when they all still had a job to do.

"It's just been hard to get used to finally being home…." Haru said instead, looking back at Eri. He felt himself flinch when he noticed how locked her gaze was on him with an intensity that tightened his chest. She knew he was lying.

"Haru," Eri said, her voice stern, but soft. "There has to be more than that. I should have asked this as soon as we came back from the Deep Web, but Haru, what exactly happened to you before we found you? We need to know."

"Yeah, you've been quiet about it. Not that we don't want to press you for it or anything, but it's odd that you've never said anything about it. All you've told us was how you met Onmon and the other Appmon and nothing else." Astra added.

"I…" Haru bit the bottom of lips, not knowing what he could say. Eri and Astra knew he was hiding things. If he lied to them, they would know and continue to ask questions. Not only that, Onmon and Gatchmon were there. The two knew he was in deep pain. He had unintentionally listened in to their conversation earlier about him and had heard the concern in their voices about his behavior. Haru suspected that the two already knew what was causing him to lose his sleep and lack of focus. The two were always constantly hovering around him, watching out for him. The only reason that the two were probably giving him space was because they haven't seen the scars that were on his arms. It wouldn't surprise Haru that the two would never leave him alone again once they found out about his scars.

Haru remembered vividly when he returned home only to see red blaring lines jeering at him from his arms. He had tried to scrub the scars off with soap, but they stayed, getting redder with each wash until finally, blood had appeared. Haru didn't want to stop trying to erase the scars, but he knew he had to stop. He cleaned the mess he had made on his arms and bandaged them so that he didn't have to see what was underneath them. Docmon had hurt him, but he had made sure there would be a visible reminder of the pain Haru had experienced at his facility. Haru just wished that the scars could disappear along with his memories of his time there.

Despite all his efforts, Haru knew that there was no hiding from both Gatchmon and Onmon of the scars Docmon had left on both of his arms. It was just a matter of time until the two figured it out. But even so, he was afraid of what the two would think of him after. They had worried too much about him ever since they had come home. He didn't want them to worry even more. He wanted things to be the same as they were before he had been taken to the Deep Web. At least then, he wouldn't feel guilty about everyone becoming concerned over his well being.

Taking notice of his discomfort to answer, Eri sighed and moved away from Haru. She turned and walked over to Onmon and Gatchmon, her eyes trained on them with such intensity that it made the two Appmon unable to look away from her cold gaze.

"You two will take Haru home and make sure he gets some rest." She ordered the two.

"But Eri-san, what about-" Haru started to say, but Eri quickly cut him off.

"We can worry about this Appmon problem later. I hate that an Appmon is spreading lies about me on my Appter account, but you're much more important right now. Besides, it's too dangerous for you to come with us to an AR field when you can barely focus. You need to first take care of yourself, Haru."

Haru wanted to argue but found he was unable to. Thinking logically, Eri was right that he shouldn't go with them to an AR field. He was not thinking clearly. His attention seemed to have only decreased after departing from Yuujin. If he went with Eri and Astra to fight an Appmon, there was a high possibility that he would only be in the way.

However, thinking emotionally, Haru didn't want his friends to go without him. They were a team. Now that they together again, Haru wanted more than anything to continue their mission of stopping Leviathan. It was true that the three of them had accomplished too much already, but there was still much more to do. And that could only be done if the three of them stuck together.

They each had their duty as an Appli Driver. Even if he needed rest, there was no way he could ignore that an Appmon was causing trouble. As their friend, he couldn't leave them alone to deal with the problem on their own. It felt wrong to do so.

As if she was reading his mind, Haru watched as Eri's mouth tightened into a frown. Knowing that she was going to scold him, he mentally began to prepare himself for it, when an unfamiliar voice spoke right in his ear.

"Now this is a joke. This doesn't even deserve to be tweeted about."

Haru widened his eyes as he jumped away from the voice, turning and seeing a light blue colored bird Appmon grinning mischievously at him. The Appmon raised its hand and gave a thumbs up, taking delight at the small jump scare it had given to Haru.

"Hey! Get away from Haru!" Haru heard Gatchmon call out, watching as both he and Onmon moved to attack the blue colored Appmon. The Appmon laughed at their effort to attack it and fazed through them, flying towards the read vending machine near them. It stopped in front of it and turned back at them, its grin growing wider as its eyes remained focused at Haru.

"The name's Tsubumon. Glad we can finally meet. Although I think I already know a lot about you three." He laughed as he pointed at Eri in emphasis. "After all, it's already been plenty of fun tweeting things about you."

"You…" Eri clenched her teeth in fury as she glared at Tsubumon, raising her fist at him. "You've tweeted nothing but lies about me! You deserve an explosive punch right in the face!"

"I like it!" Tsubumon said as he clutched his chest in laughter. "It was so easy flaming your account, but you were only just the beginning. I have a lot more tweeting to do, so catch me if you can!"

At those words, Tsubumon disappeared leaving behind small digitized particles. Eri felt her hands formed into fists as people near them began to shout out in surprise from the lies Tsubumon was tweeting about. She turned towards Haru, wanting to tell him to stay back, but the way his eyes were narrowed in determination made her freeze. He was going to come with them no matter what she said. He wouldn't let them chase Tsubumon without him.

Sighing, Eri turned towards Gatchmon and Onmon and briefly told them to stick close to Haru. She couldn't stop Haru, but as his friends, they could at least make sure he was safe. But as they ran towards the chaos Tsubumon was creating, she began to wonder if she had made the right decision to allow Haru to come along with them. She had the strangest feeling that they were running right into something that would be too much for the three of them to handle together.

* * *

Yuujin stared blankly at the counter he was now sitting in front of, thinking back to his meeting with Haru. He couldn't shake the way Haru looked at him as his bright blue eyes became darkened with concern. He could still see the way he shook as his face paled when they walked through the crowd. He longed to wrap his arms around him and chase all the fear that had somehow crawled into his best friend's heart. He hated knowing that something had hurt Huru and that he couldn't do anything.

Of course, Yuujin trusted Haru, but Haru was the kind of person that would worry about others before thinking about his own wellbeing. And during these last few months, that trait had been increasing. Haru was becoming more of a protagonist every day, but the negative traits of being a protagonist were just as well growing. Yuujin wondered how long he could handle watching his best friend shoulder all the burden that had to do with why he befriended Eri and Astra, two people that he never imagined Haru befriending. It was difficult when all he wanted to do was take all that burden and shoulder it himself for Haru.

Yuujin had no idea how he was able to let Haru run off after he received a call presumably from either Astra and Eri. He saw the way Haru looked at him, noticing how the blue hues in his perfect clear sky eyes became cloudy, losing that brightness that always seemed to pull him in. Haru didn't want to leave him. And Yuujin didn't want him to leave either. After so many days with no contact with each other, Yuujin had feared for the worst for Haru. So when he finally received a text and a phone call later from Haru, he was beyond relieved. But after that relief came worry, hoping that nothing serious had happened to Haru.

He was too gullible to think that nothing had happened to Haru in the short amount of time he lost contact with him. Haru always tried to talk to him, even over small things and Yuujin always did the same. A day never went by without Yuujin knowing that Haru was okay. Whether it was sending each other messages or calls, seeing each other at school, walking home together, or hanging at Ai's family's bookstore, they had always made time for each other. But now, it all had changed. And Yuujin didn't know why. But whatever reason, it was not too hard to see that Haru was in the middle of it. And if his disappearance had to do anything about it, it was all the more reason why Yuujin needed to know what was going on. For Haru's sake, he needed to know how this was affecting him.

Yuujin sighed at this thought and looked over to the plates of sushi people by him were eating. He didn't even know why he was here. As he was on his way home, traffic lights kept changing on him guiding him to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant. Confused, he moved to turn away from the restaurant and go back to the path he originally attended to take when he received a coupon on his phone stating that he could get plates of sushi for free. Yuujin wanted to still turn around and go back home, but he decided to go in. Not to fill his appetite, but to help him think. He needed to find an answer to his concern for Haru.

When a plate finally came for him on the conveyor belt after many minutes of silence between him and his thoughts, Yuujin was surprised to see an odd looking device on it instead of sushi. Next to it on a card was a name for the device, the Appli Drive Duo. Bewildered, Yuujin took the device off the plate and held it close to him as he stared at it, taking in its weird design and the way it felt in his hand. It did not feel too heavy considering how big the device was. Somehow, it felt right holding in his hand, as if it was meant for him.

"Ofu…"

Yuujin blinked and looked away from the Appli Drive Duo, seeing a new plate in front of him with a small creature turned away from him on a glowing orange square with a blue wristband right next to the creature. By the small creature was another card that had the name, Offmon, written on it, while by the blue wristband was a card that showed what the wristband was called: the Seven Code Band. He stared at the creature confused, not knowing what to call it when the blue band beside it began to glow with a female voice calling out to him from it.

" _Oozora Yuujin_ …"

Yuujin widened his eyes as he reached forward to the blue band, taking it into his hand and staring at in wonder. He hadn't expected a female voice to call out his name, let alone it sounding so gentle and kind. Somehow, the voice helped clear the tightness that had built up in his chest since separating from Haru, as if it knew that he was overwhelmed with worry. He was in awe of it.

"Ofu… Are you my Buddy?"

"Buddy?" Yuujin questioned, looking away from the band at the small creature. It was no longer turned away from him and now looked at him shyly, the sleeves of its coat covering its mouth. Yuujin did not see when it had turned to him, but the way it looked at him was stirring unfamiliar emotions from its chest. Somehow, he and this creature that was in front of him were meant to meet each other. He wondered if the voice that called out to him had something to do with this.

"Ofu… A Buddy is a human that is paired with an Appmon like me. We're supposed to fight against the bad Appmon together."

As he listened to the small Appmon's explanation, something began to click in Yuujin's head. This had to be it. This had to be the reason why Haru had suddenly grown as a protagonist, no longer admiring them from the side. This had to be why Haru was suddenly in pain and keeping things away from him. And this had to be why he had disappeared for so long and came back so different, trying to hide his sadness away with smiles that were too forced to be real.

It was all because Haru didn't want him to get involved.

"Ofu…"

Yuujin blinked and glanced around, suddenly realizing that people were now staring at him. He stared at them in confusion, wondering why they were giving him weird looks and turned towards Offmon, who was now floating up to him. Could it be that they couldn't see nor hear Offmon? Was he the only one who could?

"Offmon, let's go somewhere else," Yuujin suggested, watching as the Offmon nodded shyly, catching as Offmon shrunk back from all the gazes that were trained on Yuujin. Even though no one could see it, the Appmon was still incredibly shy.

He smiled at the small Appmon and fastened the Seven Code Band onto his wrist. After it was securely fastened on his wrist, he picked the Appli Drive Duo from where he had placed it and hopped off his seat, heading towards the exit. He had a vague idea of where he wanted to go to talk privately to Offmon, but anywhere was better than in a place in which he had many eyes on him for seemingly talking to someone that they couldn't see.

Yuujin continued to walk with Offmon in silence until the two finally arrived at a secluded bench that was surrounded by many trees. Yuujin sat down at the bench and turned to Offmon, who moved closer to him, introducing himself. The two continued to talk to each until silently, Yuujin looked up towards the clear blue sky through the branches that swayed back and forth from the wild wind. He began to realize that he had no idea what to do now. He wasn't in shock, but it was still a lot to take in. Offmon had explained to him what their meeting meant and his role, but that still didn't help with what he could do for Haru. Now that he knew what Haru was hiding from him, he wanted to help him more than ever. But he had no idea how he could do that.

"Yuujin, look!" Offmon piped up from his side, pointing towards the device in his hands.

Yuujin followed what Offmon pointed at, finding that a holographic black box with words on it had now appeared from the device in his hand, asking him a question with a yes and no buttons glowing below it on the device. He read the words silently to himself until he widened his eyes once it sunk in what he was being asked.

 _Is there someone who you would give your life up to protect?_

Yuujin felt his chest constrict as he continued to repeat the question in his head. It was difficult to process what it was asking him. Giving up your life for a person just to protect them was a heavy concept something no child should ever have to think about. It was a concept that people in the line of duty like firefighters and policemen knew they would have to face. It was hard to think Yuujin could do this when there were so many things he would be forced to leave behind.

After all, once you die, there's no going back.

Yuujin felt his heart drop at that thought. Was this something that Haru had to think about? Could it be possible that he was fighting to not only protect his friends and family, but so many others as well? Was he putting his own life at risk to ensure that everyone around him had a tomorrow to look forward to? He had no idea how serious whatever Haru was dealing with, but it was enough to have already given him invisible scars. What more would it do to him if Yuujin continued to be blind to it? He didn't want to see Haru hurt any longer.

No, he wouldn't let that happen anymore.

Yuujin felt his hand tighten around the Appli Drive Duo as he finally decided his answer. Sacrificing his life to protect someone was something he didn't think he could do, but if it meant making sure Haru was safe from harm, he would do it in a heartbeat. Haru was his best friend, but in his heart, he was more than that. And when someone was compelled enough, they would sacrifice everything for the one they cherish, even their life.

Deciding this, Yuujin pressed the bright blue button that had the word yes on it. Once he pressed it, a burst of wind erupted from the device as the small lock on the device became unlocked. He watched as color began to suck away the dark color on the Appli Drive Duo as a small symbol appeared on it, glowing intensively. In the middle of the device, a surge of color appeared in waves, drawing Yuujin in. He saw particles of data appear on each of side of the small red parts on the cover of the device, spelling out 'Pairing Offmon'. He stared at the newly colored and glowing Appli Drive Duo in wonder. It was now brimming with life in comparison to when he had first received it.

Yuujin smiled at this and looked up, catching Offmon's shy smile that he quickly hid behind his sleeves. He still didn't know what exactly the Appli Drive Duo was in his hands, but he knew that it would help him keep Haru safe. Now all he needed to do was find his best friend.

This time, he would protect Haru from whatever he was dealing with.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I literally spent a large portion of my day to wrap this chapter up. I'm just happy to have it finally finished. Now for why it took so long to get this chapter out, I had finals and meetings with my new advisor that kept me busy. When my summer vacation rolled around, I decided to take a little mental break and spend time with my family and friends. I actually wanted to get a chapter of Eclipse out before this, but the gears in my brain was not turning for it, so I decided to try to work on this story instead. It worked and now I can finally get some ideas freshened out. However, as much as I want to say I will get chapters out on a regular schedule now, it might be only a two-week schedule. I'm taking an online class for English right now and writing essays can be tough, which will lead to occasional writer's block for me. Be warned that I will also not update for some time in July since I'm heading to Disney with my family. Other than that, I'm happy to be back.**

 **trashyistrash: Haru's character development has only just begun. It's hard for the child to live his life properly when he is at the very center of what's going on. And yeah, Gatchmon and Onmon are doing their best, but Eri just wants them to try harder. She, herself, feels guilty about everything that has happened to Haru and wants to just help him. And thank you! Yuujin is a complexing character who I'm excited to write about. I just hope I can nail his development towards the end.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

Onmon allowed his eyes to narrow in annoyance at Tsubumon as he stood in midair in front of him and the others, smirking mischievously as the blazes of fire around them crackled. The AR field they were now in was literally on fire, a clear indication of how destructive Tsubumon's tweets were becoming. His tweets were now burning everything. Tsubumon had led them on a widespread chase throughout the city, causing nothing but chaos everywhere he went with his annoying tweets. Truthfully, Onmon had no idea how people could put so much trust in the tweets Tsubumon had sent out anyway. It irked him how so many people had believed a tweet that said it would be raining when the sky above them was perfectly clear and sunny. He had seen firsthand how much people depended on technology. But seeing the amount of trust they would put into it was unnerving as it clouded their better judgment.

Of course, Onmon should have expected that it might have been a trap after the amount of chasing Tsubumon had led them on. Every sharp turn he made through the streets from phone to phone should have sent a sent a red flag through Onmon's head. Given how Tsubomon had easily shown up and provoked them, he knew he should have told the others about his concern, but he didn't nor even tried to. In the end, he didn't really care what Tsubumom did to Eri.

It wasn't that Onmon didn't like Eri or Astra. He just wanted to keep his distance from them. He didn't consider that there was anything about them that was deserving enough to consider them as reliable friends. All he really knew from his initial introduction to them was that Eri was an idol, while Astra was an Apptuder and that the two were both Applidrivers chosen by Minerva as well. Other than that, he didn't know anything else about them. Sure, they were Haru's friends, but that didn't matter to Onmon. They hadn't done anything to prove why they were Appli Drivers like Haru. As far as he was concerned, they didn't deserve his help. Only Haru deserved that.

Still, despite his feelings toward the situation, it didn't change the fact that Tsubumon had played a large factor in affecting Haru's plans for the day. He wanted to make the annoying Appmon pay for messing with Haru.

Which Onmon would have done if it weren't for the fact that a green plasma beam from seemingly out of nowhere had sent Musimon and Dokamon back to their partners after attempting to attack Tsubumon. Seeing how the attack had managed to knock the two out from the force of the explosion it caused, Onmon immediately got on guard, getting in front of Haru. There was no way he was going to let Haru get struck by the same green beams that had nearly struck both Musimon and Dokamon. And judging how fast Gatchmon reacted along with him, Onmon was sure Gatchmon was thinking the exact same thing.

"Now, now, now! No need to be so surprised! It's only Lord Satellamon!" Tsubumon boasted, grinning as he gestured to a video screen that popped up beside him. The screen showed an Appmon resembling a cowboy, wearing a triangle-shaped hat. The cowboy like Appmon smirked as he lifted his hat with his finger, his eyes becoming visible as they glinted. Onmon didn't have to continue looking at the Appmon to know if they could handle him. As soon as he heard its name, warning bells went off in his head.

Satellamon had once come up in a conversation he had with Coordemon during one of his many visits to her. Word had gotten around that a skilled sharpshooter Appmon had started getting rid of those that were rebelling against Leviathan, working as a bounty hunter. Although that didn't stop Appmon that wanted things to change in Cyber Kowloon, many of them had started to become fearful of carrying out rebellious acts in the city. No one could tell when Satellamon's attacks would come and they would never miss. Just seeing how accurate Satellamon's attacks were in front of him was enough to leave Onmon speechless. After all, he had been one of those that didn't believe in such a thing when the rumor about Satellamon started going around.

"Satellamon. He's a GPS Appmon and an Ultimate." Onmon heard Gatchmon say besides him. He turned towards him confused wondering why he had the magnifying glass over his eye until he remembered that Gatchmon had the ability to search up others on the internet. The two had shared information about their abilities when they arrived at Haru's home since it was clear that they would be working together. It probably was no problem for him to find information on Satellamon.

Though now the question remained on what they were going to do with that information.

"Good work, Tsubumon. I'll take it from here." Satellamon said through the video feed.

Tsubumon bowed his head slightly, smiling proudly at the Appmon on the screen. "Of course, sir!"

Onmon felt his body tremble as soon as Satellamon turned his attention away from Tsubumon to them. His blue eyes twinkled with a sharp gleam like that of a predator that was about to finally snatch their prey. They held no warmth and were cold and calculating. Onmon realized he couldn't turn his gaze away from the blue orbs that belonged to Satellamon for how dangerous they were.

"We can't beat him," Onmon spoke shakily with fear in his voice. He forced himself to look away from the screen to Gatchmon, whose face contorted into shock at what he had just said.

"What do you mean we can't beat him?" Gatchmon hissed in anger.

"Exactly what I just said!" Onmon retorted harshly. "That Appmon in front of us is a bounty hunter whose well known for getting rid of Appmon! From what I know, Satellamon never misses his targets."

"Oh? It seems I'm well known more than I thought." Satellamon said from the screen, his smirk growing wide at that thought. "But that does not matter. My mission is to erase you Appli Drivers and your Buddy Appmon. All for except for one Appli Driver who Leviathan asks to be left alive and be retrieved for him."

Satellamon's hat fell slightly covering his eyes. The bounty hunter Appmon smirked and raised his hat with his finger, revealing one eye gleaming darkly with murderous intentions.

"You Appli Drivers entered the Deep Web and took back what Leviathan wanted. Leviathan is not about to let you get carried away with yourselves over that."

Before anyone could respond, Satellamon raised his weapon upward and pressed the trigger, releasing a bright green plasma beam to the sky. Knowing what was coming, Onmon lept into action. He turned around and pulled Haru forward along with Gatchmon, narrowly avoiding the green plasma beam that struck where they just were. It struck the ground, creating a small explosion that was enough to send the three sliding forward. Onmon cursed at how powerful the explosion caused by the plasma beam was and looked back at the screen, his eyes narrowing in deviance at the Appmon that had just tried to attack his and Gatchmon's partner.

"That was just a warning shot. Do not think I will miss next time." Satellamon said as a second gun appeared in his other hand. "I always hit the bulls-eye."

"In fact," He said as he lifted his head, revealing his cold, calculating eyes. "This time, I won't miss."

Onmon clenched his teeth as saw another green light being shot in the distance in the sky where Satellamon was most likely at. He didn't want them to fight Satellamon. They were at a huge disadvantage. The bounty hunter Appmon was too far away from them to attack and considering how Satellamon was a GPS Appmon, he could easily find them no matter where they ran. If anything, they most definitely going to lose if they tried to fight back.

Onmon shook his head at that thought. Screw how strong Satellamon was. He was not going to back down just yet. He had a job to do and that was to protect Haru. If Satellamon never missed his targets, then he and Gatchmon would just have to be the first to miss his attacks.

As if Gatchmon read his mind, Onmon watched as Gatchmon gave him a glance and looked back to Haru, calling out to him to Appliarise the both of them.

Haru wasted no time to get his Appli Drive out and in a flash of light, Logimon and Globemon appeared in the spots Onmon and Gatchmon just were. Immediately, Logimon jumped to Haru's side as Globemon shot forward to the sky, deflecting the green plasma beam to the side with his hand. Before Globemon could do anything else though, the same green plasma beam he deflected to the side struck him from behind seemingly out of nowhere, engulfing him in a cloud of dark smoke.

"Globemon!" Haru shouted in fear as Logimon beside him cursed to himself. Satellamon really was out of their league.

"You won't be able to escape from my GPS easily like that." Satellamon gloated with amusement from the video screen. "I commend you for trying when it won't help you at all."

"That doesn't matter!" Logimon snapped, pointing his finger at the screen in irritation. "Who cares that you have GPS! Globemon has it too!"

"Tch, tch, tch" Satellamon mused with a smirk. "That GPS you have is number two in this field."

From above them, Globemon finally managed to wave the smoke that had surrounded him with his hand as his eyes flashed with immediate anger at what Satellamon had just said.

"Then who's number one?" He asked.

Satellamon whistled and chuckled from the screen as he lifted his hat with one finger, revealing his predatory eyes. He pointed at himself and laughed at Globemon's question obviously finding it amusing that Globemon had asked such a thing when it obvious who was already number one in that area.

"Globemon," Logimon shouted up at him. "Ignore him! You're stronger than him! Don't let him get to you!"

"Stronger?" Satellamon asked. He chuckled and raised both of his guns. "In that case, let's make it so you can't dodge any of my attacks."

Before Globemon could move, Satellamon pressed both of the triggers on his hands and green rays of light shot out of them moving towards Globemon. Globemon managed to avoid the first one, but he was unsuccessful in dodging the second one. Before he could regain back his bearings, he was suddenly hit by another beam. Soon, he was struck all at one by continuous beams of plasma, each hitting him and causing a surge of pain in every area of his body. Gatchmon could not see anything in the cloud of dark black smoke that had engulfed him from the barrage of attacks. The only thing he could make sense of was the sound of his voice screaming.

"Globemon!" Haru yelled horrified as the sound of Globemon's screams resounded in his ear. Near him, Logimon stood petrified not understanding how Globemon was still taking every attack. It was worse than he could imagine. He had thought that Globemon had stood a change since he was an Ultimate like Satellamon, but he was wrong. He needed to do something before it was too late.

"You haven't forgotten, have you?" Satellamon suddenly said from the video screen. "My target is both you and your precious Appli Drivers."

He fired two shots and they moved directly towards where Astra and Eri were. The two stared up in horror as the green beams moved down to them at a crazy speed. They could do nothing but sit still holding on to their unconscious Appmon as the ringing screams of their own heart vibrated in their chest. They were shackled to the ground waiting for their execution from the light hurtling towards them.

Time suddenly went into a standstill. At that moment, for a reason he couldn't comprehend, Logimon lept in front of both Eri and Astra, with both determination and fear in his gaze as he looked onward at the incoming attacks. He could feel the heat as the beams of plasma inched closer as the sound of Haru's cry for him resounded in his ears. Despite wanting to turn around and remain by Haru's side, he kept himself still looking onward. He was Haru's partner and he shouldn't be doing what he was about to do, but he did not want Eri and Astra nor their partners to die. He did not care for them, but that did not mean he was going to turn a blind eye to them and let them die in such a way. They were Haru's friends and were fellow Appli Drivers. He could not let them die.

Just as Logimon made that decision, a flash of red blocked his vision. He could only watch shocked as Globemon took the attacks he was about to take protecting him and Eri, Astra, and their partners. He heard Globemon's scream of pain as smoke engulfed them. When the smoke finally cleared away, an unconscious Gatchmon was all that remained on the ground. It was painfully clear how injured Gatchmon was. He was bruised and battered and would not respond to the sound of Haru's voice. They had lost.

"Gatchmon!" Haru yelled as he took off to his fallen partner. Carefully, he put his arm around Gatchmon and placed him into his lap, as he tried to access the damage Gatchmon had taken for them. There was no doubt how serious Gatchmon's injuries were, but he wanted to have hope that Gatchmon would recover. He couldn't lose Gatchmon.

"This isn't the time to be worrying about others over yourself, Shinkai Haru," Satellamon remarked, as he smirked on the screen. Haru could do nothing, but look up terrified as he clutched Gatchmon closer to his chest. He could not let go of Gatchmon. He watched as Satellamon's eyes flashed with amusement at his action, knowing that Satellamon was entertained by their helplessness over the situation.

"Now move aside while I finish the rest of your friends," Satellamon said with no remorse directly towards Haru. "There is nothing else you can do. It is over."

"No, it is not." A familiar voice said from the distance from behind Tsubumon.

Haru and the others turned towards the direction where the voice came from watching as a familiar silhouette walked through the crackling flames. As the silhouette got closer and closer, the more Haru felt his heart began to throb as his chest got tighter. It was when the silhouette finally spoke again that Haru finally realized who was coming towards them.

"Because I am here." The silhouette said as the bright flickering flames finally revealed who was speaking.

There in the distance, standing with a determined smile was Yuujin. His green eyes flashed with unwavering resolve as Haru felt their gaze fall upon him. Haru wanted to believe that the Yuujin standing in front of them was fake and that he really was back in the real world waiting to hear back from him, but there was no mistake in the brightness in the green eyes that stared back at him. Haru only knew one person whose eyes always managed to make his heartthrob with a range of emotions. He couldn't deny it. The person standing in front of them was definitely Yuujin.

"Y-Yuujin?" Haru asked in confusion, still not fully comprehending how Yuujin could be standing in front of them when they were in an AR field. His answer came several seconds later.

"As I told you before, Haru. I always am and always will be on your side!" Yuujin said as he took out a large purple device out of his pocket, holding it out in front of him.

"That's-" Logimon started to say, but he paused, not knowing what else to say. He did not understand how Yuujin could be there in front of them now suddenly having an Appli Drive in his hand. It did not make sense. How did he become an Appli Driver in the short amount of time after they had departed from him?

"An Appli Drive that goes beyond other Appli Drives! The Appli Drive Duo!" Yuujin said with confidence in his voice. He narrowed his eyes and brought his Appli Drive close to his body as he glared at Tsubumon and Satellamon. "Here I go!"

"Appmon chip! Ready!" He called out as he pushed a lever on the device in his hand. The two halves of the cover slid apart allowing Yuujin to put an Appmon chip inside of it. After locking the chip in, Yuujin set his thumb on the red button at the bottom of the device as he called out to initiate the sequence.

"Insertion: Me!"

As soon as his thumb made contact with the button, a ray of colors erupted from the device. One color, purple, specifically shot out of the screen of the device towards the ground. When the light of purple finally subsided, a small Appmon stood in the light's place. The small Appmon wore a long brown coat, hat, and goggles. On its goggles was red-colored symbols. Even though Logimon didn't want to admit, the small Appmon definitely was his opposite.

"Ofu!" The small Appmon cried out with a shy smile as it raised his arms as if it was stretching from a long nap. It stared at its opponents with an innocent smile. Logimon had no idea what to expect from the small Appmon. It was definitely too small to be their savior. If an Ultimate Appmon like Globemon couldn't beat their enemies, then what chance did a small Standard Appmon had?

"Offmon," Yuujin said as he kneeled down by the small Appmon, placing his hand on its large hat. "Think you can do something about them?"

"Ehh?" Offmon cried bringing his hands to his face as he covered them with fear. "But they're so scary!"

Logimon wanted to bang his head against something. They were so screwed. What more could do they do when the small Appmon called Offmon was too scared to even fight?

Yuujin chuckled as he rubbed the top of Offmon's head affectionately. "Please Offmon? It looks like you're able to do something. Can you do it for me?"

Offmon looked up at Yuujin and turned around back at Tsubumon and Satellamon humming in thought. Deciding what it was going to do, the small Appmon wiped away its tears and held its arms up determinedly.

"Then I'll try my best!"

Having enough of what was going on, Satellamon narrowed his eyes and held his guns up, releasing another barrage of attacks. "I don't know you are, but for interrupting, I will end you as well. You won't be able to escape me from my aim!"

Offmon ignored what the bounty hunter Appmon said and closed his eyes, beginning to wave his arms as he marched in place. As he danced around, a small purple orb began to form in the small space surrounded by his hands. It twisted and stretched until it grew larger, forming a dark purple ball. Smiling, Offmon raised the small purple ball and released it upward to the sky as he shouted out his attack.

"Shutdown Link!"

At first, nothing seemed to happen, but after a few seconds, a large dark dome began to form around the area they were in. Everyone stared at the dome that now encased them with expressions of shock and amazement as the video feed that was by Tsubumon suddenly shut off. Tsubumon turned to where the video feed was once was with fear and puzzlement as he called out to his boss who he could no longer contact.

"Lord Satellamon!"

Haru turned away from Tsubumon and looked back to Yuujin, not knowing what to say. Near him, Logimon stood on guard, puzzled how a small Standard Appmon like Offmon could do so much. But if Offmon was the opposite of him, then it only made sense. Though Offmon's confidence in his abilities could use some work.

As he thought about this, he flinched when a wave of explosions went off by them. He turned in amazement as the clouds of smoke appeared by the dome, rising to the sky. Somehow, Offmon had saved them. He didn't have faith in the small Appmon, but just seeing what Offmon had done for them made him think otherwise. Even so, it also brought another thought to mind. If a small Standard Appmon like Offmon could do this, why couldn't he, a Super Appmon do much more?

"What is this?" Eri asked as she turned away from the dome at Offmon.

"I turned the field offline so we wouldn't show up on that bad Appmon's GPS," Offline explained with a large smile. He waved his hand innocently at Eri with large eager eyes.

Yuujin chuckled and raised his fist, happy that they now had the advantage. "Okay, Offmon! Let's do this! It's time to attack!"

"Okay!" Offmon answered with a smile. He closed his eyes and began to move his hands together in deep thought as another purple orb began to form in the middle, between his hands.

'Knead, knead, knead, knead…" Offmon muttered continuously deep in concentration to the growing orb that was forming between his hands.

Everyone stared at Offmon lost, not knowing how to comprehend what was happening in front of them. Logimon, in particular, stared at Offmon with annoyance. They were opposites, that was for sure, but even he could attack much quicker than Offmon. He had no idea if Offmon was seriously fighting. All it looked like to him was that he was creating the same attack that had made the dome that had encased them. What good would do that do to Tsubumon?

As if he just understood he now had a chance to put an end to Offmon, Tsubumon broke out of his stupor and shot forward to Offmon, with a dark gleam in his eyes. It was clear that he wanted to make Offmon pay for making him lose connection with Satellamon.

"Even without Lord Satellamon, I can take you down myself! In flames!" Tsubumon shouted, covering himself with orange, burning flames.

Just before he could touch Offmon, Logimon jumped into action and lept in front of him, holding Tsubumon back with his hands. He glared at Tsubumon with fiery anger. He was not going to let Tsubumon attack Offmon. He didn't want to put his trust in Offmon, but Logimon was willing to if it meant protecting Haru. If protecting Offmon from an irritating Appmon like Tsubumon would help him do just that, then that was what he was going to do.

"Logi Plasma!" Logimon shouted, releasing blue plasma beams from both of his hands at Tsubumon.

Tsubumon cried out in pain as he was pushed back from the attack upward towards the sky. Just as regained his balance, he looked up in surprise to see the same purple glowing orb that Offmon had been forming was now heading towards him. Laughing at how small it was, Tsubumon rushed forward to it, calling the attack a joke.

"You think this weak-looking attack will stop me? Watch me as I send it flying back to you! I-Like-It Rush!" He shouted, holding his thumbs up.

He continued to move forward towards the incoming attack, but when he came into contact with it, he was immediately enveloped in a large explosion. Nothing remained when the smoke finally cleared except for a ray of light that shot forward to Yuujin's Appli Drive that released Tsubumon's Appmon chip out of it. Smiling, Yuujin caught the Appmon chip and turned to Offmon, smiling at him in gratitude. He placed the Appmon chip into his Appli band and walked forward to Haru and the others, gazing deeply into Haru's bright blue eyes.

"Are you okay, Haru?" He asked gently.

"Y-yeah…" Haru murmured still in shock at the idea that the one person he wanted to protect was here now with them. "But… Why are you here, Yuujin?"

"What else is there, Haru?" Yuujin said, allowing his mouth to curve into a smile. "I'm here to protect you."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: First, I would like to apologize for my month long hiatus. So much was occurring in my life that I never had the time to write this chapter. Whenever I suddenly did have the time, I didn't know what to write. The plan was actually to post this chapter on my birthday last month, but that didn't happen. I would like to continue to post more chapters the rest of this month, but I don't know if I can. Even so, I would like to try. In the future, I would actually like to have a weeklong update of chapters. Can't say when this will happen though.**

 **trashyistrash: Onmon does not like Offmon, Eri, or Astra. But don't worry, eventually, he'll warm up to them as he did with Haru and Gatchmon. As for Yuujin, Onmon acknowledges that he's Haru's friend. Other than that, he doesn't care. If Yuujin tries to talk to Onmon, of course, Onmon would answer, but the conversation between the two would quickly turn awkward. And yep, there will definitely be more moments in which Onmon and Gatchmon show that they are just as protective of each other as they are to Haru.**

 **Lucy: Thank you so much for reading this fanfic since last year. I'm glad you're enjoying it. I don't know how much development I'll be giving to the Ultimate 4 and Satellamon, but I aim to give them some goals and desires that were not shown in the anime. I also would like to make use of their abilities unlike how they did in the anime (definitely Charismon's ability).**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

Haru stared blankly at the cup of tea in his hands deep in thought as the voices around him became muffled from his thoughts. He found all he could really think about was the events that had transpired. He still couldn't' grip the fact that Yuujin was an Appli Driver like him. That thought continued to trundle through his brain like a loud through train that wouldn't let him concentrate on anything else, with no intention of stopping. It churned uncomfortable emotions that Haru couldn't let go no matter how much he tried to push them aside.

No matter how much he didn't want to acknowledge it, Haru was conflicted with himself. It wasn't that he didn't want Yuujin to be an Appli Driver. In fact, he was happy for his best friend. Haru now could share the things he had been forced to keep to himself or lie about to Yuujin. But what Haru couldn't help but dislike was that now Yuujin would be forced to deal with all the dangerous things he, Eri, and Astra had to face every day. Haru wanted to protect Yuujin from it all, but now that Yuujin was an Appli Driver, there was no denying that he would be fighting for his life just like the rest of them in future battles. It was apparent from the confrontation with Satellamon how much the evil AI wanted them all erased for good.

"Except for me," Haru thought bitterly to himself.

Haru still couldn't understand why Leviathan was keen on acquiring him. He had thought that the reason Leviathan wanted him in the first place was to separate him from the others and get rid of him for good since he was the leader (something Gatchmon had been clear on ever since meeting Eri and Astra). Haru had assumed that Leviathan had given up on this tactic after he had returned home with the others from the Deep Web. But after what Satellamon had said, it was clear more than ever that Leviathan only wanted him alive. Haru couldn't make sense of this. What did Leviathan want him for and why now? He was a human and an Appli Driver. Wouldn't it be Leviathan's goal to not keep him alive when he was working to put an end to the sinister AI's plot? It just didn't make any sense to him.

"Haru…"

Haru flinched in fear as the overwhelming train that had been trekking through his thoughts finally subsided, allowing for him to suddenly feel that something was tapping against his arm. When he realized who had gotten his attention, he allowed his breathing to settle and answered his buddy.

"Yes, Gatchmon?"

"Are you okay?" Gatchmon asked with a worried gaze. "You've been quiet..."

Haru blinked and shook his head, trying to mask his fear with a smile. "Sorry, Gatchmon. I was just thinking about some things…"

He tried to ignore Gatchmon's hesitant expression at his words and instead turned his focus on the scene before him, watching as Eri and Astra talked to Yuujin as the Appmon on his lap moved its body closer to his chest, trying its best to hide from the people around it. Near Yuujin, listening politely, was Ai. She had decided to treat everyone to tea she had made when she heard about what happened to Haru and the others. She was surprised when Yuujin explained about his new role as an Appli Driver, but only smiled and congratulated him, prompting Yuujin soon after to explain how he found his Appli Device and Offmon.

It didn't really surprise Haru when Yuujin explained where he had received his Appli Drive. It was just like Yuujin to find his device in a conveyor belt sushi restaurant. No, what surprised Haru was when Yuujin mentioned a female voice he had heard when his Seven Code Band came to him on a plate. It was clear from Yuujin's description of what the female voice sounded like could be. It had to be Minerva.

Even so, it brought the question of why Minerva spoke to Yuujin. Haru wanted to talk to the good AI more than ever since returning from the Deep Web. Even though she was cut short, the message AI had given to him had been enough to help him during his time at Cyber Kowloon. But still, Haru knew there was more to what she wanted to say to him. He needed to speak to Minerva once more. He needed to talk to her to make sense of what was happening around him. The only problem Haru had was not having any way of communication to reach the mysterious AI. Haru had tried multiple times to reach her with his Seven Code Band, but was unsuccessful each time he had tried. Now more than anything, it felt like Minerva was ignoring him. If she had talked to Yuujin, why couldn't she talk to him, who needed her guidance more than anything now?

"Hey, Haru, what do you think is cooler? How Yuujin found his Appli Device or how I found mine?" A voice piped up from the left of Haru.

Haru turned to the source of the voice and effortlessly turned his frown into a cheerful smile, as he answered Astra's question. "I think they're both cool. You both found your Appli Drives in an original way after all."

Astra tried to smile at Haru's answer but crossed his arms. "Still think maybe how Yuujin's got his Appli Drive may be much cooler than how I got mine…" He admitted, looking away.

"It's not a competition, Astra." Eri chided as she let out a soft sigh, turning away from him back to Yuujin and the Appmon on him. "Anyway, what kind of Appmon is Offmon?"

Offmon flinched at Eri's questioned and moved its face closer to Yuujin's chest as it softly whimpered. Yuujin smiled and placed his hand on Offmon's hat, gently rubbing his hand back and forth as he tried to coax the Appmon to relax. Finally, Offmon stopped whimpering and lifted its head from Yuujin's chest, slowly turning its body so that part of its face could be seen. With a shaky voice, the Appmon spoke.

"Ofu… I'm an Appmon of offlines games."

"So he's like you, Onmon?" Gatchmon asked, turning towards the Appmon in question, who was sitting on the other side of Haru.

Onmon nodded at his fellow partner and looked towards Offmon, studying him. "We're both Appmon of games, but unlike Offmon here, I'm an Appmon of games that can only be played by being connected to the internet."

"He's definitely the opposite of you, Onmon." Musimon opined in thought. "Unlike you, Offmon seems shyer and reserved."

Onmon looked away in annoyance, refusing to acknowledge Musimon's thoughtful opinion.

"Still it's amazing. Offmon is a Standard Appmon, but he got rid of an Ultimate for us." Musimon remarked in thought, looking over to the small Appmon in Yuujin's lap, who had now fully revealed the rest of its face from Yuujin's chest.

"Is that a big deal?" Yuujin asked.

Eri nodded. "Ultimates are far stronger and larger than Standard Appmon. Usually, it takes an Ultimate to beat another Ultimate."

"How are you so strong, Offmon?" Dokamon asked.

"W-when any Appmon is Appliarised with the Appli Drive Duo, their status is increased. It's because of the "Insertion: Me" part. The Appli Driver's power gets injected into the Appmon." The small Appmon managed to say with a shaky voice.

"How would that affect the Appli Driver, Offmon?" Ai politely asked, encouraging Offmon to go on.

"T-They may feel tired if they continue to send their power to their Appmon." Offmon answered shyly. "The Appli Drive DUO can initiate an Overdrive function, which will give the Appmon a burst of energy to perform stronger attacks, but this can be dangerous for the Appli Driver. It will drain most of their energy."

Haru stared at Offmon in thought as he pondered over what the Appmon said. The Appli Drive Duo was different in appearance and had a far upgraded function than that of the Appli Device buried in his sweater pocket. It made him wondered if Minerva had created the Appli Drive Duo and had given it to Yuujin because she knew they were going to face far stronger enemies like that of Satellamon. It made him also wonder if Minerva was intending to give him and the others an Appli Drive Duo as well in the near future.

As he pondered over this, he failed to see Yuujin switch his gaze from the others directly to him. When Haru finally realized that Yuujin was now looking at him, he curved his mouth into the best smile he could manage and allowed his attention to be redirected to the conversation that was taking place around him. Even though he was troubled with Yuujin being there now, it felt right. At least he couldn't feel guilty anymore about having to lie to Yuujin.

With that thought in mind, Haru pushed himself to join in the conversation with his friends. At first, it seemed to be only about the next step to take against Leviathan, but gradually the conversation began to shift to trivial things, breaking the heavy atmosphere that had settled in the small room. Without expecting himself to, Haru found himself smiling and laughing with his friends as they described the small, but humorous things they had done with their Appmon. It had been awhile since Haru found himself smiling a genuine smile as he spoke to his friends. Ever since his small adventure in Cyber Kowloon, he couldn't smile happily along with Astra and Eri whenever they had met up to talk about things other than the battle with Leviathan they were involved in. It felt nice to actually forget about everything not involving AI and fighting and actually just talk about things that made him break out in laughter. Haru never realized how much he had missed just being able to do that.

Eventually, after realizing how late it had become, the conversation dialed down and everyone made their way to leave. As Haru followed Eri and Astra up the flight of stairs to the exit, he felt a hand fall on top of his. He turned with surprise as his eyes met with Yuujin's own pair of eyes, which only narrowed in concern. Haru felt Yuujin wrapped his hand around his hand as his best friend spoke.

"Hey Haru, can we talk a bit?" He whispered in a soft voice.

Haru blinked, confused why Yuujin wanted to talk to him now, but reluctantly nodded, unable to say no Yuujin. "S-Sure." He answered.

Yuujin smiled and together, they continued following the others up the flight of stairs. Once the two said their goodbyes to the others, Yuujin led Haru away from the library. The two continued walking in silence, with their Appmon following behind them, as the unwavering threads of light from the fiery red orb above them, mingled with the rolling clouds, dying the sky into a magnificent scarlet canvas. It wasn't until Haru finally acknowledge the sky above him that he felt Yuujin stopped. When he turned to see why Yuujin had, he was instantly met with the sound of a gentle murmur below him that drowns all other sounds in its rhythm. Haru walked over to see where the source of the sound came from, finding himself surprised that the two were standing on a bridge over a small crystal blue stream that was illuminated by the glowing red orb from above. Haru stared at the stream as the sound of its movement gently caressed his ears. It was nothing but soothing.

"Haru."

Haru blinked and turned, seeing that Yuujin was now at his side, looking down at the stream with a solemn expression. He stared at Yuujin with confusion as his best friend continued looking at the stream below them. Just as Haru was about to ask Yuujin why he brought him to where they were at, Yuujin spoke again.

"I'm sorry. I hadn't realized what you were going through." He apologized, looking back up to the sky. "It must have been hard for you…"

Haru felt his chest tightened at Yuujin's words and shook his head as the guilt that had been building up inside him threatened to break out. "No, I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you about everything, but I didn't want you to get hurt. Even though you were worried about me, I thought telling you about the Appmons and about being an Appli Driver would only put you in danger…"

Haru forced his gaze to fall to the ground not being able to stand the pain no longer. He moved his body to turn back to the stream but stopped when he felt something gently grasp onto his hand. In shock, he turned to the source and felt his eyes widened when he saw that it was Yuujin's hand on his. Slowly, he looked up at Yuujin as his best friend gently smiled at him with no sign of anger and hurt at what Haru had told him. If anything, Haru could see happiness in Yuujin's expression. Yuujin was blissfully happy at what Haru wanted to protect him from.

"Thank you, Haru," Yuujin said with a wide smile. "I understand now why you kept all this away from me. Is the reason you were gone a while back had to do with Appmon?"

Haru nodded solemnly. "Yeah… An Appmon that worked for Leviathan took me to Cyber Kowloon." He paused and looked back up to Yuujin with a smile. "But thanks to the friends I met there, I was able to meet with Gatchmon and the others again."

"I'm glad you're safe, Haru," Yuujin said suddenly. "Now that I know what you're dealing with, I want to be there for you."

Haru stared at Yuujin startled by his words and frowned. "What was the question that your Appli Drive asked you before you paired with Offmon?"

Yuujin frowned and took his Appli Drive out of his pocket. He stared at it with a thoughtful expression and looked back at Haru. "Back then, I was worried about you, especially earlier today. I didn't know what happened to you, but I knew it was hard on you. When I held the Appli Drive Duo in my hand, all I could think about was you and how you were connected to the reason I received it. That was when it asked me…"

He paused and placed his Appli Drive back into his pocket with a serene smile and continued speaking.

"It asked me, 'Is there a friend that you would give up your life to protect?'"

Haru felt his eyes widened with shock as the weight of the Yuujin's words settled in. "Give up your life?" He managed to say, hoping more than anything that wasn't the question Yuujin had answered. But the more he continued looking straight into Yuujin's bright green eyes, the more he realized that Yuujin was telling the truth.

"I know…" Yuujin answered as he placed his hand behind his neck, rubbing against it with his hand. "It's a really heavy question."

He stopped and looked down at the stream below them as his mouth curved into a thoughtful smile. "But then, it made me think that if something ever happened to you, I would want to protect you. I probably won't know for sure until that time comes, but…"

Yuujin looked back up Haru and placed his hand on top of Haru's hand once again. "I want to be that person who can protect you, even if it costs me my life. That's how I feel right now. That's why I answered yes to the question it asked me."

"Yuujin…" Haru murmured. He couldn't help but smile at his best friend as the tightness in his chest began to dissipate. "Thank you." He said in gratitude.

"What did your Appli Device asked you by the way?" Yuujin asked.

Haru smiled thoughtfully at Yuujin's question as his mind went back to the fateful day he had received his device and met Gatchmon. He still couldn't believe it hadn't been that long ago when it felt like he had been an Appli Driver for a long time.

"It asked me, 'Are you a protagonist?" Haru finally answered.

Yuujin chuckled as Haru turned to him confused at his outburst. Yuujin smiled apologetically as he rubbed the back of his head with his hand absentmindedly. "Sorry, it's just that of all the things it asked you, it asked you the one thing you were always evident you were not. I'm happy that you answered yes to it. Because of that, you've changed Haru. You've always have been a protagonist to me, but now everyone can know that you are one. Even you."

Haru stared at Yuujin speechless, not knowing how to respond to Yuujin's words, but slowly allowed his mouth to form a smile in gratitude. It did seem like irony that the one thing he never thought he was turned out to be the question his Appli Device asked him. Even so, he was glad that his Appli Drive asked him if he was a protagonist. Because he was able to answer yes to it, he was able to be Gatchmon's partner and later Onmon's and meet so many friends he wouldn't have been able to meet otherwise. He only had Ai and Yuujin in his life besides his mom, but now he was surrounded by so many friends he cherished. Even though deep down, he still felt that he wasn't a protagonist, he couldn't hide the emotions bubbling inside him that voiced that he was indeed one. Yuujin was right. He was changing. And he was changing for the better.

"Thank you, Yuujin." Haru finally replied after considering what Yuujin's words meant to him. He couldn't help but smile at Yuujin as he lost himself into Yuujin's passionate eyes. Even though they didn't get to do what they wanted to do earlier, at least now he could be with Yuujin more now that he was an Appli Driver. Even though it was dangerous, it comforting to think that Yuujin would now be there by his side in future battles.

It was this thought that stayed with Haru as the two continued to their way to their homes, never noticing that a certain familiar hooded boy was watching them silently from the distance.

* * *

Satellamon swirled the drink in his hand as he stared at it deep in thought. He hadn't expected to return to Cyber Kowloon empty-handed, less alone being beaten by a tiny Standard Appmon. He was infuriated and wanted more than anything to hunt the small Appmon down and make him pay for humiliating him. But instead, here he was, having a drink waiting and biding his time. As much as he wanted to give into his anger, he knew he needed to think logically about the situation. Before attacking the Appli Drivers again, he needed to gather information first about the new one and his Standard Appmon. It was the only way to ensure his victory the next time they met in battle.

"Satellamon-sensei…"

Satellamon looked up from the cup of drink in his hands at the jester-like Appmon that had addressed him. Since meeting her, the female Appmon had begun addressing him as her sensei and taking upon tasks for him. It didn't faze Satellamon the slightest as to why the Appmon in front of him was working for him. He didn't care. All he knew was that the female Appmon was competent besides her personality. She showed just how devoted she was to bringing upon pain to those she deemed fit to inflict.

"What do you want, Vegasmon?" Satellamon said as he looked back to his drink.

Vegasmon grinned and moved forward with ease. "Was it true that the mission assigned to you by Leviathan was to get rid of the Appli Drivers and their treacherous Appmon?"

"Why do you care?" Satellamon asked with irritation.

"Was there a green-haired boy among them that Leviathan ordered you not to harm?"

Satellamon placed his drink down and turned to Vegasmon, curious how she knew about the boy Leviathan had ordered him to take unharmed. As far as he knew, Vegasmon never had met the boy in question, even when he had been in Cyber Kowloon for such a length of time. Or did she perhaps leave information out from her debriefing from the last mission?

"Why do you want to know, Vegasmon?" Satellamon ordered.

Sweetly, Vegasmon curved her mouth into a wide smile as she tilted her head innocently. "Because that boy and his treacherous Appmon humiliated me. And I would love nothing more than to make them pay for that."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Well, I certainly took a long break from writing this chapter than I expected and for that, I apologize. The reason why I took so long is simply that I wanted to get this chapter right. A certain character gets some development in this chapter, which expands into the next few chapters. Anyhow, with how busy I am with college and my jobs, I don't know when I'll be able to get the next chapter out, but even so, please have patience with me. As much as it seems like I've given up on this story with my lack of updates, I'm still aiming to finish this story. I'm just overwhelmed with a lot of things that are keeping me from doing so.**

 **trashyistrash: Edgy Onmon is certainly the best Onmon. And I suppose it will? There might be some things I will change when we get to that episode. I'm still trying to decide how I want to tackle future chapters in relation to the anime. We'll just have to see. (Also can't wait for Ai to get her buddy as well)**

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

"The Appli Duo huh... The Appmons who materialize through it receives higher power from the Appli Driver's life energy that gets injected into the device during the Appliarising process. What do you think, Onmon?" Gatchmon said as he looked up at the Appmon in question from the purple Appli Duo that laid out in front of them. He had borrowed the device from Yuujin, hoping to analyze it more using anything he could find about it from the internet, but so far he could find nothing. All he had was the information Offmon had told them the day before.

"It seems dangerous…" Onmon replied as he studied the glowing device. "Sure, we'll get stronger, but how will that affect the Appli Driver in the long run? Even if it means we'll get higher power, I don't want to risk Haru's life for that."

Gatchmon nodded in agreement and looked over to Haru, along with Onmon, as they watched him try to coax Offmon away from behind Yuujin's legs. The four were currently on the floor that led to the school building's roof by the stairs. Being that it was lunch time for Haru and Yuujin, the two had wanted to talk some more together alone with their Appmon. Sine the school roof was usually inaccessible to the students unless given permission, naturally it meant rarely anyone tried to make their way up, which meant the perfect place for the two to Appliarise their Appmon without having to worry that they will be seen.

Both Gatchmon and Onmon watched as Haru gently smiled at Offmon offering him his hand. The two had been worried for Haru, but after the conversation he had with Yuujin the day before, it seemed Haru was happier with himself. He was still more reserved, but he was making an effort to talk to others again, even to his classmates. Just seeing him smiling to Offmon made both of them feel at ease. Thanks to Yuujin, it began to look like things would go back to normal for Haru.

"Don't be scared, Offmon. It's okay." Haru said softly as he moved his hand closer to Offmon.

Offmon immediately shook in fright at the oncoming hand and did the only thing he could think of. He clamped its mouth shut onto Haru's fingers and dug his teeth into them, shooting an erupt flare of pain fast and upright to his head. Haru couldn't but flinch at the pain, which his Appmon immediately responded to. The two rushed forward to Offmon with a glare in their eyes as they stood protectively each at Haru's sides.

"Just what do you think you're doing to Haru?!" The two yelled at Offmon.

Offmon flinched at the sound of their voices and dug his teeth further into Haru's skin, but a soft voice from up above made him relax. The small Appmon looked up curiously at the source of the voice, surprised to see it was Haru smiling gently at him as he spoke soothingly at him.

"There, there. Don't be scared. It's not scary. I won't hurt you."

Offmon released Haru's hand as he looked up into Haru's bright blue eyes in wonder. Offmon was struck by the gentleness carried in Haru's voice. Like Yuujin's voice, it was warm and kind. It made him oddly feel safe and protected. It was confusing and yet, Offmon was strangely at ease by it. He realized that Haru was not someone he needed to be afraid of.

Even so, that didn't stop him from flinching at the murderous look he caught being directed at him by the two at Haru's side. Seeing how ready the two were going to tackle him, Offmon hid his head behind Yuujin's legs, shaking in fear. Yuujin immediately noticed this and place his hand on Offmon's head, rubbing it softly. Recognizing the hand that was on top of his head now, Offmon stopped shaking and looked up, not being able to stop himself from bringing his face closer to Yuujin's leg. He took comfort in how safe being around Yuujin made him feel.

"Offmon," Yuujin said quietly with gentleness, watching as the small Appmon looked up at him in response to the sound of his voice. "Haru is my best friend. There is no need to be afraid of him.

Offmon gazed at Yuujin's eyes in silence for a few seconds before glancing down at the ground in thought. Yuujin said it was alright. Haru wasn't someone he needed to be afraid of. And looking how gentle and kind Haru was being towards him, it was hard to not feel at ease at his presence. Yes, Haru was definitely someone he didn't need to be afraid of.

Declining this, Offmon looked back up at Haru with a sincere expression.

"Haru," the small Appmon said guiltily. "I'm sorry for biting you."

Haru shook his head, happy that Offmon had now opened up to him. "It's okay, Offmon. Can we be friends too?"

Offmon widened his eyes in surprise at Haru's question and glanced back down at the ground timidly, before looking back up at Haru with a tiny smile that seemed to grow wider the more Haru smiled at him in return.

Both Gatchmon and Onmon watched the two exchanged bright smiles, not saying a word. While the two didn't like that Offmon was getting away that easily from biting onto Haru's finger, it didn't change the fact that Offmon had made Haru happier with finally being able to get the small Appmon to feel relaxed around him. As much as they disliked it, they had to at least be grateful towards Offmon.

Although that didn't help them stop the jealousy that was creeping in from how much it seemed like Haru was enjoying Offmon's company.

"Oh, there you two are." A voice spoke up from the bottom of the stairs.

Haru and Yuujin, as well as their Appmons, turned their heads towards the bottom of the flight of stairs, finding Ai at the bottom staring up at them with a medium sized bag in her hands. She walked up the stairs to them, stopping to put the bag on the ground once she had reached the top and looked at her friends.

"Ai-chan, what are you doing here?" Haru asked confused, as he stood up from the ground and turned towards her.

The corners of Ai's lips curved upward into a beaming smile. "I've been looking everywhere for you two. There is a book convention being held today and my father wants to donate some books there. I was wondering if you could accompany me and help me take them later."

"Of course we can," Yuujin replied.

"Yeah," Haru added, excited at the idea that the three could spend the day together.

Ai was his childhood friend. He had known her ever since they were toddlers in preschool. When there were younger, there was not a day that went by without Haru spending time with Ai at her family's bookstore. Even after meeting Yuujin, Haru always tried to make time to see Ai and visit her. But after everything with Leviathan, the days he went to her family's bookstore to spend time with her and just her became less. Haru was sure that if Ai didn't know about Appmons, things would be different between them. But even so, that didn't change the fact of how much he hated involving her something that could harm her.

"Okay, let's meet at my father's bookstore after school. We'll head to the shopping district from there." Ai replied with a bright smile.

"Oh and here, Haru-kun," Ai said as she opened the bag beneath her. She lifted a medium-sized book from the bag and handed it to Haru. "Before you were taken to Cyber Kowloon, you mentioned that you were looking for more books on Artificial Intelligence. I couldn't find a lot of books about the topic that you haven't read already, but my father ordered some new ones just a few days ago. This one just arrived earlier today."

Haru took the book from Ai's hands with a grateful smile and politely thanked her. He had forgotten that he had talked to Ai about his interest in reading more about artificial intelligence. He had already read all the books in her father's bookstore about the topic and had asked if she could look into getting more books. After everything that happened to him, he had completely forgotten about it. It was nice to see that Ai hadn't.

After giving the book to Haru, Ai decided to stay and chat with the boys more. Gatchmon and Onmon watched as she talked to both Haru and Yuujin, always making sure to include Haru in the conversation. Ever since Haru had returned back to school, the two had noticed that Ai was always watching Haru with a worried gaze. She always made an effort to him in class when they were allowed to. Whenever Haru seemed alone to his thoughts, she was always there to address his loneliness and welcome him with open arms to any activity she was going to do. Now that Yuujin knew what happened to Haru, he was more surrounded by his friends than ever. But even then, Gatchmon and Onmon could see the worry in Ai's gaze whenever Haru was not looking. It seemed there was more to Ai's behavior than what it seemed

Eventually, the bell rung and the three friends packed up to head back to class with their Appmon in tow dematerialized in their holographic forms. Gatchmon and Onmon watched quietly as the three friends paid attention to their teacher's lesson, specifically Haru. Indeed, Haru looked much more open to the lesson than how he had been before his lunch break.

As he observed Haru, Gatchmon caught Onmon in the corner of his vision moving a limb every few seconds with a bored look in his eyes. Although Gatchmon was used to staying out of Haru's way and simply observing the lesson being given, he found he couldn't stop grinning at how antsy Onmon was throughout the lesson. It was amusing given how it reminded him how he used to act during the first couple of weeks he stayed with Haru in his classes. He was always so restless but eventually found value in looking up information about the lessons.

After a few more hours of patiently observing and begrudgingly sending glances at the more reserved Appmon hovering over Yuujin, Gatchmon and Onmon ended their observing as the students were finally dismissed as another school day came to a close. The pair followed Haru out of his classroom along with Yuujin and Ai, watching as he said goodbye to his friends, promising to the two he will see them again in an hour.

Luckily, the trip back to Haru's house did not take too long. When the three arrived at Haru's home, surprisingly his mom was there to greet Haru. After explaining where he was going and reassuring to his mother that he would be back in time for supper, Haru made his way to his room and dropped off his school bag. Once he made sure he had everything he needed, he left his room and headed back to his mom to give a quick goodbye, something both his Appmon partners observed quietly. They were going to make sure Haru returned in time for dinner. It was their job to make sure Haru's mom didn't have to worry about Haru.

As expected, the walk to the Koshinoki bookstore was short and once Haru and his Appmons arrived, Ai and Yuujin were there to greet them with bags of books lying on the ground next to them. After a short conversation, the three friends were well on their way to the shopping district with the bags of books in their hands. The walk didn't take too long and with everyone's effort, the three were able to help place and organize the donated books on the tables waiting for them in the shopping district. After finishing, the three decided to walk around the small district together and look around. After an hour of walking, Yuujin suggested to both Haru and Ai that they should get ice cream, which the two did not deny to. With some convincing from Yuujin, the two decided to sit down together at a table inside a small cafe near the convention as they waited for Yuujin to return with the cones of ice cream.

"So this shopping district," Onmon commented in thought as he and Gatchmon hovered by Haru's side looking at the crowds of people that were outside the cafe they were in. "It's supposed to be a place where humans can shop in a wide area with many different stores right to each other, right?"

"Yeah," Gatchmon replied with the magnifying glass over his eye, most likely looking up information about the shops around. "I was really surprised when I first saw it. It's always full of people and conventions are always being held there. It was really packed during Halloween full of people in costumes."

"Costumes?' Onmon asked in confusion. "Wait, what is Halloween?"

Haru chuckled as Gatchmon stopped his searching and began to explain to Onmon about Halloween and turned to Ai, seeing that she was silently staring at his Appmons with a frown. She noticed that Haru was staring at her and turned to him, immediately replacing her frown with a large smile.

"Yes, Haru?" Ai asked politely.

Haru shook his head. "I was just wondering if you were okay. You seem not yourself…" He murmured thoughtfully.

"I'm fine," She replied as she gazed at the table solemnly. "I just was thinking about some things." She added quietly, barely audible enough for Haru to hear.

"What are you thinking about?" Haru asked, inching his body closer to the table. He was concerned for Ai. Even when they were kids, she always tried to stay positive for everyone, whether it be for her father and her friends. It was confusing now to see her suddenly with a dejected gaze when he knew quite well Ai wasn't one who liked to show how she really felt to anyone. Whatever was going on with Ai was serious and it needed Haru's attention.

When she heard the concern in Haru's voice, Ai could not stop herself from looking up at Haru's bright blue eyes. She hesitantly smiled slightly as her chest began to tighten inside. As much as she wanted to not talk to Haru what has been on her mind, she knew she couldn't keep anything from him. Just like how she could tell when Haru was masking his sadness with a smile, Haru could do the same with her. They were childhood friends and have always been honest with each other. And it was now time she started to be honest with him.

"I…" Ai said slowly before pausing in thought. She took a deep breath and continued speaking without hesitance. "I want to do more for you."

"Do more for me?" Haru asked in confusion as his Appmons looked up at Ai in surprise. Haru shook his head as he tilted his head questionably. "What do you mean?"

"I'm scared for you, Haru-kun," Ai said as she grasped her hands together, tightly. "You and everyone else have been fighting so long. I have always been worried about you. You fight each day with Gatchmon to protect everyone. I understood that you accepted it, that you had to fight, but that couldn't stop me from worrying. After you told me about the Appmons, every morning after, I couldn't stop myself from praying that you would return from each fight unhurt, that you wouldn't change from the cheerful, kind boy I knew as a child. But one day, it finally happened- you didn't come back that day…"

Ai shook her head as beads of water began to fall one after another from her eyes, without any sign of stopping. Her lips trembled and her shoulders shook, heaved with emotion, unwilling to back down. Despite how heavy the tears streaming from her deep purple eyes were, Ai still looked straight at Haru with a fixed gaze, one Haru could not remember ever seeing from Ai in all the years he had known her.

"I was scared, Haru-kun. I wanted to come with Eri-san and the others to look for you, but I knew I was powerless. I knew even if I did come, it wouldn't change a thing that there would be nothing I could do to help find you. And so, I waited…"

A pair of tears raced down Ai's cheeks, stinging her tear stained face as her lips quivered even more.

"But my worst fear came true- you had changed when you came back. You were still kind and as concerned for others as you always were, but you were also burdened with pain. It hurt seeing you try to hide that pain for everyone' sake. I'm sure you told yourself that was the only thing you could do since you still had to fight and I'm sure even right now, it still hurts. I wanted to help you, to ease the pain, but I'm not strong. I could never be as strong as you. All I could do was watch you and try to help you as you tried to smile at everyone."

Ai paused to take a short breath as she opened her hands and closed them, rhythmically in a daze. Her teary eyes searched for Haru's as if she was trying to see if he was really in front of him before speaking again.

"Now that Yuujin-kun will be fighting too, it feels like I'm helpless. Even so, I can't help but feel I have to do more as your friend. I want to- no need to do more for you than simply cheer for you or pray that you will come back unhurt. I want to help you, Haru-kun. I want to fight along with everyone."

Haru widened his eyes as Ai's words began to sink in. Brick by brick, the walls around Ai came falling down and now she had finally released every emotion that had been swelling inside of her. She was more than concerned for him at this point. She was afraid that with each battle he partook with the others against Leviathan, he wouldn't be the same and be beyond hurt. He had left her alone with those thoughts. It must have hurt Ai when Yuujin became an Appli Driver. While Yuujin could help him, Ai was left behind in the background, only being able to support everyone with a smile. She felt powerless as everyone moved ahead of her, while she was forced to stay behind and watch from afar.

"Ai-chan…" Haru breathed, barely recognizing the tremor in his voice. He slowly rose from his seat and walked over to Ai, wrapping his arms around her. He felt her hands clutch at his sweater as her tears soaked into his chest. And yet, he still wouldn't let go of her. While he was in pain, Ai was in just as much pain as him. It was his responsibility as her friend to help her. She always stood beside him and the others with a caring smile, always making sure to support him and the others, even allowing them to have her father's basement as their secret base. But the sad truth was behind Ai's smile was hurt at the fact she could do nothing. How could he have allowed Ai to be swallowed by this? No, why didn't he try to help her any sooner? He had taken Ai for granted.

"Haru-kun," Haru heard Ai murmured between breaths. He unwrapped his arms and took a step back as Ai carefully wiped the last of her tears away from her eyes before looking back up at him.

"I'm sorry…" She apologized. "I shouldn't have said this to you when you're already overwhelmed with so much."

Har quickly shook his head, taking Ai's hands in his. "No, I'm the one who should be sorry! I never realized that you felt this way. I… I should have paid more attention to your feelings and what you wanted. I should have been a better friend to you."

"Haru-kun…" Ai whispered. She allowed her lips to curve into a tiny smile as she gently grasped onto Haru's hands. They were warm and soft just as she always remembered. Despite how different he was now, he would always be her childhood friend.

"Ai-chan, let's-" Haru began to say, but he was quickly cut off by an all familiar girly voice.

"Aww, it's so sweet that it makes my teeth want to rot. How sad Haru that you have completely forgotten about me."

Haru widened his eyes and quickly wrapped his arms round Ai as both Gatchmon and Onmon took his side, ready to protect their buddy from the unknown voice.

"Who's there?!" Onmon yelled, mixed with irritation in his voice, as he glared everywhere he set his gaze on.

"Aww, you too? Am I that easy to forget? Oh well, that's okay. I have been thinking about you two so much now and I want nothing more to make you two pay for what you did to me."

"Did to you?" Haru questioned, as his brows furrowed in confusion.

"I have an idea!" The voice suddenly piped in excitement. "Let's make a bet to see who I can kill first! Wouldn't that be fun?!"

Onmon narrowed his eyes as he suddenly began to realize who was speaking. He recognized the voice and sure was annoyed that she finally decided to come back, especially now of all times.

"Vegasmon…" Onmon muttered darkly, as the female Appmon finally appeared in front of them in her holographic form with a wide sinister grin. It was clear how she looked at them that Vegasmon was definitely more dangerous than she had been in the past.

"What do you want," Onmon growled.

Vegasmon smiled sweetly as her eyes flashed with playfulness. "Oh, nothing. I just want to play a game, with your lives on the line of course."

Before Haru and his Appmons could reply to Vegasmon's words, the lights above them suddenly shut off, engulfing them in complete utter darkness. As the confused screams around Haru echoed throughout the small cafe, Haru felt his hold on Ai began to lessen until all he could grab onto was the air. He called out to Ai, hoping that she was still right next to him, but when the lights suddenly flicked back on, he found his body become filled with dread as he stared at the empty seat right next to him.

Ai was gone.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I think at this point, no amount of apologies can explain why it took forever for me to post this chapter. All I can say was that I lost interest in writing fanfiction on this site. Mostly because of the constant demands I kept receiving through emails to update faster. I love writing fanfiction but the emails became just too much for me causing me to realize that I needed a break. So, I decided to focus on school and my own needs. I don't know if it's fair to outright say that I am really back, but I want to finish writing this story. Over the last few months, I have done outlines for future chapters and right now, this story should end with 30 chapters if I decide to stick with my plan. Now, am I going to stick with a consistent schedule? The answer is I'll try. I've changed my major last year from science to art and I'm now devoting most of my time to drawing and getting ideas together for some illustration projects I have in mind as well as a webcomic I want to start writing and illustrating. I will try to write chapters for this story when I can as well as for Eclipse, but please don't expect me to update regularly. I'm purely writing this story for my own enjoyment and hopefully, for the enjoyment of others who are still interested in reading this story.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

The first thing Ai became aware of when she opened her eyes was the bright colors around her. Upon greeting her, the vivid colors immediately blinded her, making her shut her eyes tight in response. When she eventually opened her eyes again, she found herself exhaling sharply in shock at what she saw. She recognized where she was. She was seated on the floor in the exact same cafe she and Haru had decided to stay in as they waited for Yuujin. Only it was different. Many of the decor in the cafe were colored differently, while some things she had remembered seeing on the tables had vanished. What struck her most about the change of scenery was that there were no people around her. The cafe had been packed, full of people enjoying refreshing drinks as they converse with another. Why wasn't there anyone there with her?

"Haru?" Ai hesitantly called out as he got onto her knees.

She pulled herself up from the floor and took a step forward, only to jump back in shock when a faint buzzing sound was made from the movement of her foot. Reluctantly, she put her foot forward again, watching as small pixels of light danced away from the spot that her foot made with contact with. Again, she made the same movement and watch with puzzlement and yet awe as the tiny blocks of light appeared. She didn't understand where she was. Everything seemed so colorful and full of magic even with how the pixels responded to her touch. She was hesitant to truly believe she was in the same cafe she had been in with Haru

"Where am I?" Ai thought to herself as she walked forward, taking a moment to look around. Even though it looked like she was still in the cafe, everything was different. It was too confusing for her to make sense of.

Ai stopped looking around as a thought struck her. If everything looked different in the cafe, then did that mean that outside of it was the exact same way? Would there be awaiting bright colors outside painting the walls and floors she knew would be painted in a different way? And would there be awaiting blobs of pixels on the walls, just sitting there, making faint buzzing sounds for her ears to hear?

Hoping that she was wrong, Ai took a step outside the doors of the cafe, flinching in shock when the same colors and sounds greeted her upon her entrance. She could barely hear herself beginning to hyperventilate as she shook her head, now truly beginning to realize how serious the situation was. She had now begun to understand where she was.

Ai was in an AR-Field.

Ai had once asked Haru to describe what an AR Field was after overhearing him talking it with Gatchmon to Onmon. He had told her that they were spaces between the Net Ocean and the Human World, created by Leviathan. They resembled the human world but were different in many ways and how they looked and sounded like. The one thing she remembered the most from the description was that Appmon could materialize in them without appliarising. She had no idea what she could do if she met an Appmon in the space. Every time Haru and the others went into an AR Field, it was to fight an Appmon that had been infected by Leviathan. There had been times in which Haru and the others came back with bruises and small cuts, but nothing too serious. They had their Appmon to protect them from serious injury.

She, however, had no one.

"Well, you seem to be enjoying yourself. Let me guess, it's your first time in an AR-Field, huh? Too bad, it will be your last time." A female voice piped up from above Ai.

Ai gazed up at the roof of a building across from her, seeing a jester-like Appmon dressed in a black and purple suit vest with red bow tie, looking down at her with a wide smile that made Ai shudder. She recognized the Appmon. It was the same one that had appeared to her and Haru and his Appmon a few moments earlier. It was the same one that had abducted her.

"Who are you?" Ai shakily asked, as she took a cautious step back.

"Oh, surely Haru and his treacherous Appmon told you about me and how they ruined the game I had put just for them." The Appmon said with a laugh before pausing in thought and continuing. "How sad to know that's how they think of me. Just another Appmon they fought and soon forgot because they have far bigger enemies to worry about."

The female Appmon sighed and looked towards Ai with an evil glint in her eyes as her smile grew wider, baring razor sharp teeth. "I'm Vegasmon and I'm going to have some fun with you until those two come to save you. After all, they can't let their poor defensive friend whose only just a pitiful human fight me."

Ai felt her stomach lurch with fear at Vegasmon's words as the Appmon's sunk in. She was just a human. She had no partner and Haru and the others had no idea that she was there. She couldn't fight an Appmon. She was powerless.

She could die.

Ai shook her head at this thought, trying her best to recompose herself. She couldn't think about that. She had to remain vigilant. She could get out of this. She had no idea how she could get back to the real world, but for now, she could try to run to safety, away from Vegasmon. The least she could do was look for a place to hide and wait for Haru. She had to at least try to survive until he and the others could find her. She didn't need an Appmon to run and find safety. She was not completely powerless.

As if Vegasmon read her thoughts, the Appmon erupted into laughter, a cruel laugh that made Ai flinch. She watched as the Appmon flashed her fangs at Ai with malice clear in her expression. Ai had no doubt that Vegasmon wanted to hurt her.

"I know what you are thinking, human. You're thinking that you can escape and bide your time to wait for your friends to come and save you. And you know what?" The Appmon asked with a wide grin. "I'll let you think that. I mean where's the fun if I didn't let you have hope that you can get out of this unscathed. The moment when I wipe that glimmer of hope from your eyes is what I'm looking forward to. Oh, but don't worry. I'll make sure the last thing you see is your friend, Haru. I can't let you die until you see his despair."

Ai felt her body go cold with Vegasmon's threat. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. The Appmon in front of her wanted to use her just to hurt Haru. And that thought sickened Ai. She had seen firsthand what had happened to Haru after his return from Cyber Kowloon. He was different than the Haru she knew. He was more secluded around his friends, including her. Every time someone would offer him a hand to lean on, he only seemed to decline the help to keep them away, hiding the pain away with a smile. Ai was sick of it. It was not the Haru she knew. The Haru she knew would always share whatever was on his mind with others because he knew there would be always those to help him. Now, it seemed like he had forgotten it.

As if whatever had hurt him in Cyber Kyloon was too painful for him to share with others.

Ai had long concluded that she was too weak to help Haru and the others, but that didn't stop her from always making the effort to help Haru and the others and confide in them whenever they needed someone to talk to. It was enough for her. She didn't have an Appmon, but she could be there for her friends. However, seeing Haru refraining from talking to her what was hurting him had made her decide that there was more she could do. Just being a friend to talk to wasn't enough for her. It was never going to be enough for anyone at this point. She needed to be the friend that could help them. And she would be damned if she let an Appmon use her to hurt Haru, her most precious friend.

Tightening her jaw, Ai lifted her head towards Vegasmon, a stony glare carved into her bright blue eyes. Fury blinded her sight as she watched as the Appmon flinched in surprise, obviously not expecting for Ai to react in anger. Still, that didn't faze Vegasmon for too long. She quickly recomposed herself and grinned at the glaring blonde-haired girl.

"You're the first human to make that kind of face at me," Vegasmon snickered as she lifted her hand to her wide opened mouth. "I can't believe you think you have the gall to make that face to me when you know you can't do anything to me!"

Vegasmon erupted in heartless mocking laughter as she wiped some tears from the corner of her eyes. She slithered a flat smirk through her lips as she locked her eyes with Ai. She was going to definitely have fun with the human in front of her.

"Well human" she purred with sweetness in her voice. "I think it's about time we start our game! Queen Wheel!"

With a wave of her hand, Vegasmon summoned a barrage of flaming black and red coins and sent them hurtling towards Ai. Ai tried her best to dodge the attack and shuffled to the side, falling flat on her knees. As she tried to regain her bearings, a sudden gush of pain jolted throughout her body from the back of her leg. She hissed in pain, clenching her teeth, as she dared to look down at her leg. She had expected to see blood gushing out, but found herself widening her eyes in both surprise and fear when instead she saw a wide red gash on her leg that was leaking tiny glistening particles of data. While it wasn't real blood, Ai felt her stomach lurch with fear at the idea that she was made out of data. She didn't want to think what would happen if she continued to lose more of the tiny digital particles of herself.

Clenching her teeth, Ai shakily stood up, ignoring the jolt of pain that hissed from her leg and looked up at Vegasmon with an iron gaze. The female Appmon laughed heartlessly at her Ai's expression and summoned more flaming coins above her as she opened her mouth, gleefully.

"Don't take this the wrong way human. I just want to make you scream in pain! Queen Wheel!"

This time, Ai was quick to respond to the incoming flaming coins that hurtling towards her. With strength she didn't know she had in her, she ran back towards the cafe she had awakened in, slamming the door behind her. Not even taking the moment to catch her breath from the fiery pain that was shooting up through her body from her wounded leg, she ran towards the back of the cafe, skidding to the ground as she stopped behind the counter. She flinched as she heard the glass window in the front of the cafe crumble into shards, likely from Vegasmon's attack, as she heard the female Appmon call out to her. Still, she made no effort to make any noise. Instead, she looked down to her wound and carefully inspecting it. Although it wasn't leaking any tiny particles any longer, it was still open and blaring in pain. She tried to touch it with her finger, only to pull her hand away from it, biting her tongue to keep herself from hissing in pain. There was no way she would be to run any further with her leg wound.

"Oh human!" Ai heard Vegasmon called out with malice. "Where are you? You know you can't escape from me. So why don't you be a good human and come out, so I can damage you some more? I want to make you unrecognizable to the point that it will cause Haru to cry for you."

Ai felt her body stiffened and lowered her gaze to the ground as she tried to think of anything she could do. She was beyond scared at this point, but she knew she couldn't let fear overtake her mind. She had to be brave. She couldn't let Haru cry for her. No, she couldn't stand the idea of Vegasmon using her just to get to Haru. She may not have an Appmon or an Appli Drive, but that wasn't going to stop her from fighting back. She didn't just want to be their friend that supported others with words. She wanted to be the friend that was brave enough to be there to help Haru and the others through anything. It was time she finally did that.

As Ai decided this, a blaring sound echoed from the television that was hooked above her in the corner of the room. She looked up as it turned on with words flashing on the screen, asking a question.

' _Is there a friend you want to help?'_

Without any hesitance, Ai called out to the screen with a loud yes, widening her eyes as a burst of white light erupted from the television in response to her answer, engulfing everything in the cafe in its brilliance and warmth.

* * *

"Ai!" Haru called out as he ignored the gaping stares he received from the people around him. He didn't care what they thought though. Ai was missing and he was sure Vegasmon was the reason for it. What was alarming was the fact that Ai was not an Appli Driver. She couldn't defend herself from an Appmon like Vegasmon. The only thing that Haru could conclude for her abduction was that Vegasmon wanted to use her for vengeance on him and Onmon. Regardless, he knew he had to find her quick.

"Haru," He heard Gatchmon say by his ear. "You need to calm down. I know where Ai was taken to."

"You do?" Onmon asked, raising his eye in question.

Haru turned to Gatchmon, seeing that the Appmon now had his magnifying glass over his eye. Gatchmon raised his magnifying glass up back to his helmet and nodded as he turned his gaze from Onmon to Haru.

"Yeah," Gatchmon responded. "Ai was taken to an AR-Field. I conducted a search and found her location was sited on this cafe's server, which could only mean she's in this cafe's AR-Field. I don't know how Vegasmon managed to pull her into it though. I had thought only Appli Drivers could access them beside Appmons."

"Well, regardless," Onmon asserted. "We need to find her fast. I don't think Vegasmon took her there only to spite us. Any Appmon that follow Leviathan will do anything to harm humans, even killing them if it gives them pleasure. Vegasmon is no different. She will kill Ai at the first chance she gets."

Haru felt his body stiffened at Onmon's assertion, fear suddenly flowing down his veins. He wasn't afraid for himself. No, he was afraid for Ai. He and Onmon had confronted Vegasmon once and she proved to be a strong but malicious force to reckon with. Still, he had Onmon with him. Ai, however, had no one with her. He was scared at the idea that she was alone and fighting for her life against an Appmon that would kill her without any remorse. And yet, somehow, it felt like it was his fault that Ai was in this situation, to begin with. Because he had involved her with Appmon, she had become a target for Leviathan's followers. What kind of friend was he to involve his childhood friend in a war?

"Haru!" A familiar voice called out from behind him.

Haru turned from his Appmon as he watched Yuujin run towards him with Offmon over him. Haru felt his gaze lock onto Yuujin's eyes, watching as the other boy narrowed his eyes in concern. It took only one look away from Haru's gaze for Yuujin to understand something serious had happened. In fear, he turned back to Haru as he walked forward and gently grasped onto Haru's shoulders with his hands, bringing him slightly forward.

"Where's Ai?" Yuujin asked with a slight tremor in his voice.

"She was taken." Haru managed to answer, barely being able to keep the fear from coming through his voice. "Yuujin, I-"

Yuujin smiled and shook his head, releasing Haru. He took Haru's hand into his own as he took out his purple Appli Drive out, looking back at the other with a confident gaze. Haru had no idea how Yuujin could manage to smile with confidence, but it managed to help chase most of the fear that had been lurching in his stomach away. Yuujin didn't need to say anything. His smile was enough for Haru to understand that they couldn't be afraid. They had to believe that Ai was going to be fine. What they needed to do at this moment was to find their way to her. There was no time to be afraid when Ai needed her friends to rescue her.

Realizing this, Haru took out his own Appli Drive and looked back to Yuujin with a smile of his own. He tightened his grip onto Yuujin's hand as he called out to his Appli Drive to open the gate to the AR-Field.

As the world around the two Appli Drivers began to shift in color and sound, Haru stared head on as the loud thumping in his chest begin to grow louder. He didn't care how scared he was for the battle he knew he was walking into. He just wanted to save Ai.

He just hoped he wasn't too late.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I honestly didn't expect this chapter to take so long to finish, but I was in conflict with how I wanted it to be structured that it took me a while to figure things out. Honestly, this chapter is the very reason why I took a break from writing this story besides the constant demands to update. I just couldn't figure out who Ai's partner was going to be. I initially had a plan for who that partner was going to be, but after Lost Data was completed, I took a step back and realized that the partner I chose for her just wouldn't be consistent for the flow of this story. And so, I found myself struggling to think of a new partner for her. It was a long, and I mean, a long process, but I'm happy to say that I made my choice. Anyway, this chapter was fun to write and is one of my favorites by far, which I hope everyone can enjoy. Again, updates will be sporadic since I am not writing on a fixed schedule, but I will say that I want to update at least one chapter every month. If I can get a better flow with my writing, I will try to post chapters much more often.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

Ai didn't know what to expect after she was engulfed by the bright light that had erupted from the television screen. It had engulfed everything except her, leaving her in a sea of white that seemed to continue to grow brighter with each passing second. While Ai was afraid for what would appear from the intensity of the light, she was confident that it would be a benevolent force. The light felt so pure and comforting that Ai began to not stand the idea of it leaving her. And yet, it did, and much quicker than she had hoped for.

However, Ai was surprised to see that the warmth that the light had brought to her chest lingered behind. It left her with a sense of security, protection, and love. It was the sort of brightness that kindled something within her, and at the same time stirred a connection with something she couldn't understand. It wasn't until the light had completely faded away that Ai realized that she was still in the cafe. Only, something was different. There was now some weight on her lap that hadn't been there before. Blinking in a daze and slightly confused, Ai moved her head down to get a look at what was now on her lap.

Only to find a pair of wide circular, black eyes staring back up at her.

Ai jolted back in surprise and fear, hitting the back of her head against the counter she had been leaning on. She let out a slight yelp of pain and immediately began to rub her hand gently on the spot on her head that was buzzing with pain. As she did this, she gazed back down again to the creature- no the Appmon that had its gaze still on her, soon finding herself catching every detail about the Appmon.

The Appmon was small, blue and round, standing on four stubby legs with a pair of long ears on each side of its head. On its forehead was a cross of five white squares with the largest square being the one in the middle. Below the odd design was the Appmon's wide and circular eyes that continued to stare back at Ai's own eyes. While Ai was slightly afraid that the Appmon would attack her if she made any other sudden movement, each second she gazed into the small Appmon's eyes brought her another sense of warmth. It was comforting and she didn't know if it was a good thing considering that there was another Appmon in the same room that had wanted to harm her.

"Are you okay?" The Appmon asked in a soft, but soothing, female childlike voice that instantly brought another wave of comfort to Ai's chest. There was no doubt in Ai's mind now that the Appmon had spoken that it would not harm her. In fact, the Appmon made her feel that she was safe and protected, which was an odd, but comforting thought, which Is completely relished in.

"Who are you?" Ai decided to ask with hesitance.

The Appmon tilted its head and with a flap of its ears, it hopped onto Ai's chest, snuggling its head into it. Ai immediately flinched at the contact the Appmon made with her chest, but relaxed once she saw the affection that Appmon was giving her, not being able to help herself from smiling. While she hadn't expected the Appmon to display affectionate gestures and talk to her soothingly, it was not unwelcomed. In fact, she wondered if she even deserved it. What did the Appmon see in her to come and help her shake away her fears of the immediate danger she was still in? As Ai pondered over these doubts, the Appmon in her arms shook her out of her torrent thoughts with its gentle voice.

"My name is Flickmon," the Appmon answered with a reassuring smile as it looked back up at Ai. "And I am your buddy Appmon."

"B-buddy Appmon?" Ai questioned, as she widened her eyes, not believing what she just heard. It couldn't be true. The Appmon in her arms couldn't have possibly been her partner. It seemed like it was all just a fabrication that her mind made up to help her deal with the situation she was in. And yet, the more Ai continued to look at Flickmon, the more she realized the Appmon was telling the truth. Flickmon was her partner.

And Ai didn't know whether or not she wanted that to be true.

As Ai tried to process Flickmon's revelation, she let her gaze fall to the floor, only to find a glowing white device with Flickmon's name flashing on it. Near it sat a blue wristband that she instantly recognized. She narrowed her eyes as she set Flickmon down and went to grab the wristband first with her hand. She knew what it was. It was a Seven Code Band, the same wristband Haru and the others wore that allowed them to store their Appmon chips and communicate with one another.

With hesitance, Ai placed the band on her wrist and let her gaze fall onto the device still on the floor. She didn't have to pick them up to see it more closely to understand what it was. She had seen the exact same device in Yuujin's hand's plenty of times, except it wasn't purple like Yuujin's. The white device on the floor was an Appli Drive DUO. Once Ai picked up the device, a rush of tingling warmth jolted up through her hand from the device, spreading to the rest of her body. In fear, Ai released the device as it clattered to the ground, eyeing it with a mixture of fear and awe. She was afraid to acknowledge it, but the device had responded to her touch. It had to mean it was hers, which was really all the confirmation she needed to wash any doubt she had left of what Flickmon had told her. She was an Appli Driver.

And yet, why was there still doubt lingering in her mind?

"I see you got a present from Minerva."

Ai felt her body stiffened, instantly recognizing the voice. She whirled her body around, seeing Vegasmon on the counter above her with a menacing grin plastered on her face. Ai felt her body crawl back in response, hitting the wall behind her with her back. As she tried to look for any chance to escape, Ai caught Vegasmon grinning even more at her display of fear, as if she was enjoying the idea of torturing even further. Ai felt her limbs began to shake at the idea and quickly tried to steady her breathing. It was almost near impossible for her to think about, but she knew she had to be brave. She couldn't let Vegasmon take delight in her pain and fear any longer.

But the second Vegasmon moved closer, Ai was surprised to see someone else taking action. Flickmon, her partner, stepped in front of Ai and growled at Vegasmon, revealing its razor-sharp fangs that resided in its tiny mouth.

"I will not allow you to harm my buddy any longer!" Flickmon growled, almost in a snarl. It placed one of its feet forward, raising its long ears above its body, almost as if it was trying to intimidate Vegasmon and ward her off.

Vegasmon gaped at Flickmon in silence for a few seconds before erupting in an outburst of cruel, mocking laughter. She doubled over in quick gasps of breath and pointy feebly at Flickmon in unstoppable giggles. Once she got some control over her outburst, Vegasmon lifted her head and wiped away the tears that gathered over the corner of her eyes as she smiled cruelly at Flickmon.

"This has to be the most amusing thing I have ever seen. What can you-" Vegasmon mocked as she pointed at Flickmon. "A tiny plush ball, hope to do against an Appmon that is far bigger and stronger than you? I mean, look at you! The only thing you have going is your fangs, but even that isn't enough. Good luck biting me to death! Your precious Appli Driver will be long dead before you even get the chance."

Vegasmon laughed at her own insult for a good few seconds before pausing in thought. She smirked and raised her hands, summoning black and red chips encased in flames.

"Look plush ball," Vegasmon said with honey in her voice that sent a shiver down Ai's spine. "I am feeling generous now. Since you gave me a good laugh, I'll let you hop off to wherever you came from. Minerva basically sent you to an early grave by sending you here. Just leave this human with me. I'll take good care of her. It's obvious you're too small for that job, so run off before I change my mind."

Ai wondered if Flickmon would take Vegasmon's offer. She didn't want to admit it, but Vegasmon was right. Flickmon was too small to take on Vegasmon, who towered over the tiny Appmon. She hated the very idea of it, but she didn't want Flickmon to die for her. She would rather protect the small Appmon and let it run away. She didn't want Flickmon to make an unreasonable sacrifice. She couldn't let her partner do that. It was unrightfully wrong to Ai.

"I will not run away!" Flickmon suddenly shouted, catching both Vegasmon and Ai in surprise. "My sole duty now is to protect my buddy from any harm and danger that awaits her. I will stand by her side in all fights she takes part in and it will start with this one. Besides, I could never leave her here with a lying crook like you!"

Vegasmon gritted her teeth and narrowed her eyes at Flickmon's insult, clenching her fists too hard. Her form exuded an animosity that was like acid- burning, slicing, and potent that was quickly beginning to make Ai even more fearful of what the Appmon was going to do. Vegasmon's face was red with rage and it was evident that Vegasmon was going to direct that rage on her and Flickmon.

"Fine..." Vegasmon muttered through gritted teeth. She raised her hand and let it fall forward in command.

"Then die alongside with your pathetic partner!"

With strength she thought she no longer had, Ai quickly scooped Flickmon into her arms and grabbed her Appli Drive. She scrambled to move to the side, just barely managing to miss Vegasmon's attack. However, before she could recover, she realized that more flaming chips were headed down towards her, much faster than she had anticipated. Ai bit her tongue and dodged once more to the side. She felt her wounded ankle protest at the movement she made with it, but she continued to dodge each chip aimed at her. Her chest ached, her arms lost tension, and her legs began to weaken. And yet, Ai continued to dodge every incoming attack. She didn't have any other idea what else she could do at that sudden.

Suddenly, a sudden gush of pain jolted through Ai's other ankle, forcing her to kneel down in agony. She barely pushed her body to dodge another incoming chip coated in flames, but not before it slightly making contact with her arm, burning her. Ai wanted to scream in pain, but the thought of satisfaction it would give Vegasmon only made her stay silent. What she couldn't stop was the cascade of tear that had begun to appear in the corners of her eyes and slide down her cheeks.

The pain was unimaginable. Each poker chip that managed to make contact with her skin felt like scalding hot water being poured on her. The pain began to make Ai nauseous and she struggled to breathe and keep herself upright. Ai wanted to give up. She wanted everything to just disappear and be back with Haru and the others. She was afraid to continue any longer.

But the thought that Haru and the others dealt with this kind of pain on a daily basis was made Ai want to continue. She felt sick to her stomach that she thought she could understand Haru and the others when she never knew what they really had to deal with in an AR Field or even in Cyber Kowloon. What kind of friend was she to think she could understand what they really were going through when she had always been safe and sound in the real world?

Ai clenched her teeth and forced herself to stand back up despite how much her legs protested at the motion. She looked back up at Vegasmon, who only glared back at her with a scowl. Ai didn't shiver at Vegasmon's icy glare. In fact, she narrowed her eyes and felt her hand grip on her Appli Drive even tighter.

Now that Ai knew the pain Haru and the others dealt with, she wasn't going to run any longer. She wanted to help them, but the only way to do was for her to have an understanding of them. And thanks to Vegasmon, she did.

She finally could help her friends.

Suddenly, Ai's device began to glow, humming to life in her hand. Confused, Ai glanced down at it as it erupted in a wave of colors. Before she could question what her device was doing, a faint, but gentle voice echoed from the blue band on her wrist that seemed to make all the throbbing pain in Ai's body effortlessly decrease in waves.

" _Kashiki Ai_ …"

Ai didn't understand why the gentle voice had spoken to her, but it was a voice so comforting and soothing that it made Ai generally smile. Even though it had only said her name, Ai knew the mysterious voice's real intention. It believed in her and wouldn't let her give up on herself. Now that she understood so much more of the world beyond her own, it was time for her to help those close to her. She couldn't be afraid any longer. Even though there were many doubts and fears still lingering on her mind, Ai now understood that she couldn't run away.

She had to stand her ground and fight.

Just as Ai decided this, Flickmon wiggled out of her arms and fell forward to the ground, turning back to Ai with an iron gaze. Ai widened her eyes but nodded. She felt her hand clenched tighter on her Appli Drive as the same female voice from her wristband whispered against her ears, telling her what to do. She held out her Appli Drive and press her thumb on the red circular button on the bottom of the device, initiating the sequence that would convert her life energy to power for her Appmon.

"Insertion: Me!" Ai called out as a ray of colors exploded from her Appli Drive.

She watched as one particular color, white, made its way to Flickmon, making the small Appmon's body glow brightly. Flickmon smiled as it began to feel the power surging through its body. It took a step forward and with confidence, called out its attack.

"Mimicry!"

In response to its command, the squares on Flickmon's forward began to glow, soon spreading to its entire body. Its body began to fade to a pale white before soon changing to a radiant red. Just as quickly as the color of its body changed, Flickmon made no effort to wait to attack. Using its long ears, the Appmon launched itself from the floor to the sky as it narrowed its eyes on its enemy.

"Queen Wheel!" Flickmon shouted, summoning a wave of red and black chips coated in flames.

Vegasmon widened her eyes in shock as Flickmon sent the attack at her. She narrowly dodged some of the chips but hissed in pain when a few of them managed to meet its target. Staggering, Vegasmon fixed her icy glare on Flickmon, who had landed safely on the ground in front of Ai. She glared at Flickmon, livid with anger, wanting to destroy the tiny Appmon for managing to hit her, with her own attack none of the less.

"How?!" Vegasmon snarled through clenched teeth. "How did you copy my attack?! No other Appmon has that ability!"

Flickmon tilted it's head to the side and giggled, blissfully unaware of the purpose behind Vegasmon's question.

"I am Flickmon!" The Appmon answered with a carefree smile. "And that's all you need to know!"

With a wave of its ears, Flickmon summoned another wave of chips coated in scorching flames and sent them forward. Rather than being shocked, Vegasmon only narrowed her eyes in anticipation at the incoming chips and summoned chips of her own to counter Flickmon's attack. Both wave of chips collided with one another igniting an explosion that quickly enveloped all the occupants in the room in a thick cloud of smoke.

Ai coughed as the smoke began to enter her lungs, forcing her to double over and gasp for air. Her lungs heaved up and down, but no benefit came from it. The only thing that came from her effort to breathe was tightness in her throat. Ai felt her vision began to grow hazy from the effort it took to inhale fresh air. Her lungs screamed at her in fiery pain, but all she could do was cough. It hurt to keep fighting the dizziness that was making its way in her mind.

"Ai, follow me!" Ai vaguely heard in her fit of coughing. She felt something warm grasp on her wrist as it pulled for her to move.

Even though her body protested at the idea of moving, Ai forced herself to stand back up straight. She knew who had called out to her and grabbed onto her wrist. Flickmon was trying to help her. Her mind registered that fact, despite all the throbbing in her chest. Ai knew all she could do was put her trust in her Flickmon.

She felt Flickmon pulled her forward at a fast pace. Even though each movement made Ai's lungs throb even more, she could tell Flickmon was being considerate of her. Rather than pulling her forward in an aggressive way, Flickmon was pulling her with delicacy. The two of them were still in danger, and yet, Flickmon was considerate of Ai's pain. Ai couldn't help but smile in gratitude as she realized what Flickmon was doing for her.

Once the two made it out of the cafe building, Ai allowed her body to slump to the ground from the exhaustion of fighting for fresh air. In a daze, she heard Flickmon calling out to her, but whatever the small Appmon said was too muffled for her to make out. Even so, Ai understood the urgency of the situation, but it hurt to move. She could feel her ribs heaving up and down as fresh air entered her lungs, but it couldn't stop the exertion it took to find that fresh air.

"Please Ai, you have to stand up." Ai heard Flickmon say in a tone of haste mixed with worry.

Ai furrowed her eyebrows at Flickmon's plea. Her mind was becoming too cloudy and everything seemed out of focus, but for a reason she couldn't understand, Ai's body responded to Flickmon. She pulled herself off from the floor and allowed Flickmon to take hold of her wrist with her ear. Flickmon pulled her forward carefully, but with each step, Ai began to move at a quicker pace.

Just as the two made their way across the end of the street from the cafe, a loud explosion echoed from behind them. The two turned seeing Vegasmon standing over a pile of rubble in front of the cafe's door. Vegasmon glared at two with eyes burning with hate and vengeance. She scowled as she raised her hand with her fingers outstretched towards them.

"And where do you two you're going?" Vegasmon seethed. "We haven't finished our game yet, Flickmon. I hate it when participants leave in the middle of a game. Especially when I'm ready to take a bet on their life."

Flickmon smiled, completely ignoring the malice in Vegasmon's threat on its life, and let go of Ai's hand. It took a step forward, its eyes twinkling with confidence. "You can try Vegasmon, but why play a bet that's not going to be in your favor? Unfortunately, you are going to lose your own game."

"And how do you know that?!" fumed Vegasmon as her face turned red with suppressed rage.

"Because Ai and I are not alone!"

Just as Flickmon joyfully made her answer, a shout echoed from behind Vegasmon that the jester Appmon instantly recognized. She turned, wide-eyed in shock, as Logimon raced forward with the palm of his hand pointed at Vegasmon. His hand began to glow a vivid blue as he called out his attack.

"Logi plasma!"

A ray of blue plasma completely enveloped Vegasmon, leaving her no time to react to move to the side. All that could be heard from within the beam of light was Vegasmon's screams of pain that continued to get quieter with each passing second. When the light finally dissipated, Vegasmon's felt her body crashed to the ground, just barely able to catch herself with her hands. She heard footsteps from her right and looked up in a daze, her eyes bearing straight into Logimon's. She allowed a cruel smirk to form on her face.

"I see you've finally arrived." Vegasmon heaved weakly. "Took you long enough. I was just beginning to loathe this game. It's no fun without the main participants."

Logimon narrowed his eyes and raised his hand at Vegasmon, allowing it to charge up as it began to glow blue once more.

"Why did you take Ai? What was your intention?" Logimon questioned, bringing his hand closer to Vegasmon's face.

Vegasmon laughed, ignoring the fact that she was being threatened by Logimon, and smirked. "I just wanted a good game with you and Haru. Although too bad it will be my last. Oh, but don't worry. There are going to be far better games to be played by you and your precious Appli Drivers in the future."

Vegasmon paused and with a smile, raised her hand at Logimon's outstretched hand, and grabbed on to it. "Say Logimon, how about we make a bet. Let's see if you and Minerva's followers can survive what's going to come. There are greater threats than me and they will stop at nothing to make sure their goals are met and will dispose of anyone that gets in their way. As far as I'm concerned, you won't survive, but hey, if a tiny plush ball can surprise me, then you and your precious Appli Drivers might just stand a chance."

Before Logimon could respond to Vegasmon's odd choice of words, she launched forward with her body and pushed him away. With a wave of her hand, Vegasmon summoned a swarm of flaming black and red chips over her head. Regaining his footing, Logimon looked up, shocked as Vegasmon had her hand not pointed at him, but instead at her chest. She smirked at him and turned her head to Flickmon, staring straight at the Appmon with a malicious glint in her eyes.

"I guess you are right, plush ball," Vegasmon said with a sneer. "Looks like all bets are off for me. Queen's Wheel!"

Both Logimon and Flickmon widened their eyes at Vegasmon's real intention and moved to stop the Appmon's attack, but it was too late. Before they could even reach her, the wave of chips above her raced down at her and struck, coating her body in flames that quickly devoured her. When the flames finally died down, all that was there to greet them was Vegasmon's Appmon Chip, but even then, no one moved to take it. Everyone was shocked at the idea that Vegasmon had effortlessly ended herself with no remorse.

"Ai!"

Ai blinked and forced herself to look away from the still chip that laid on the ground to the direction that the voice called her from, seeing Haru and Yuujin running towards her with their Appmon in tow. She moved to lessen the distance between them, only finding herself stumbling forward, not being to walk coherently. She gritted her teeth as she fell forward, but was surprised to find that a pair of hands had caught her. She looked up as she saw Haru staring at her with a worried gaze, asking her questions that were much too muffled for Ai to understand. No, all she could focus on was his eyes, which somehow, broke the dam that had been threatening to break far too long ago inside her.

Ai felt the tears burst forth, spilling down her face as the muscles of her chin trembled. Realizing that she was crying, Ai immediately tried to cover her face from the others as the salty tears continue to fall from her chin. She wanted to hide, feeling nothing but embarrassment for her outburst. However, she felt gentle hands grasped onto her shoulders and pulled her forward to their chest. She froze as the hands gently caress her head and finally allowed herself to relax. She allowed the salty tears to continue to fall as she clutched at the person in front of her, pulling them closer for comfort so that she could press her he head into their chest.

Ai knew who had pulled her forward and was grateful more than anything for having Haru there to comfort her. It was painful seeing what Vegasmon had done to herself, and yet, Ai didn't understand why Vegasmon had done it. She didn't understand how an Appmon could end themselves so effortlessly with their own attack. It was as if Vegasmon knew that her part was finished and that the only way to leave the stage was by ending herself.

It wasn't right and Ai hated that she couldn't do anything to stop Vegasmon. Even though Vegasmon had tried to kill her, Ai never held ill intent for her. In fact, all Ai could feel was pity and remorse for the jester Appmon. Despite how much the jester Appmon had brought harm to her, nothing could compare to the pain of knowing that Ai couldn't do anything to save Vegasmon when the Appmon had directed her own attack on herself. Ai was just too weak to move and save her.

With tears flowing from her eyes, Ai trembled as she began to realize the true terror and horror of the war Haru and the others were facing.

A war that she was now part of.

* * *

 **A/N: Flickmon's design can be viewed online. I understand that its ability is far different from what I've written here and that's because, for this story's sake, Flickmon is stronger and more useful. Flickmon is a flick Appmon and can be any type of Appmon like entertainment or social. Through brainstorming, I realized why not use that information and allow Flickmon to tap into other's Appmon digital codes and mimic their abilities and type to "flick" their attacks right back. Even though it is a Standard Appmon, Flickmon can flick any other grade Appmon's attack back as long as it gets a chance to mimic their digital coding, which makes it a strong Appmon despite its appearance. However, there will be drawbacks from using this ability against higher grade Appmon that will be explored the further this story progresses. And because Flickmon cannot evolve to a higher grade, the significance of its ability will be much more important in the future.**


End file.
